ballistics [L17th] Two ancient engines of war, a catapult for hurling large stones and a large crossbow firing a spear, were each known as a ballista [OE]. The Latin source, ballista, from Greek ballein ‘to throw’, gave us ballistics. Ballistic [M18th] became widely known in the mid 20th century with the development of the ballistic missile, a missile which is initially powered and guided but falls under gravity on to its target. In the 1980s to go ballistic began to be used meaning ‘to fly into a rage’.