Where does “torpedo” come from?

torpedo (Cebuano) comes from English torpedo, from Latin torpēdō, from Latin torpeō, from Proto-Indo-European terp- — to satisfy.

torpedo (Cebuano): a torpedo; a cylindrical explosive projectile...

Definitions

  1. a torpedo; a cylindrical explosive projectile...

Ancestry of “torpedo”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtorpedoAn electric ray of the genus "Torpedo"; A...
2Latintorpēdōlethargy, inertness, sluggishness
3Latintorpeōto be stiff, numb, torpid or motionless
4Proto-Indo-Europeanterp-to satisfy
Every word from Proto-Indo-European terp- →Every word from Latin torpeō →Every word from Latin torpēdō →