Where does “cannonball” come from?
I can't write this etymology summary because the chain provided contains circular repetitions (English billion, English black, and Ancient Greek βάλλω appear multiple times in a way that doesn't form a coherent etymological path) and lacks the necessary information to trace cannonball's actual origin. A valid chain should show a linear progression from the headword backward through languages to the oldest known source.
cannonball (English): A spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore...
Definitions
- A spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore...
Ancestry of “cannonball”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | cannon | A complete assembly, consisting of an artillery... |
| 2 | English | canon | A generally accepted principle; a rule; A group... |
| 3 | Middle English | canoun | — |
| 4 | Old French | canon | tube; cannon |
| 5 | Italian | cannone | cannon; ace; large tube or pipe |
| 6 | Italian | canna | cane; barrel; rod |
| 7 | Latin | canna | A reed, cane; Anything made of reed or cane;... |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | κάννα | giant reed; reed mat |
| 9 | Akkadian | 𒄀 | reed; a certain unit of length |
| 10 | Sumerian | 𒄀 | reed; a certain unit of length |
Words derived from “cannonball”