bomb (English)
Where does "bomb" come from?
The English noun 'bomb' traces back through French 'bombe'[1][3] and Italian 'bomba'[1][3][4] to the Latin 'bombus'[1][2][3][4], meaning 'a booming sound'[1]. This Latin term was borrowed from the Ancient Greek 'βόμβος', meaning 'booming, humming, buzzing'[1][2], which originated as an imitative sound[1][2].
Open questions
- The Ancient Greek term is considered by some to be borrowed from a Pre-Greek substrate. [5]
Full etymology tree
- bomb (English), 'An explosive device used or intended as a weapon, especially, one dropped from an aircraft.'
- borrowed bombe (French), 'bomb (a device filled with explosives)'
- borrowed bomba (Italian), 'bomb'
- derived bombus (Latin), 'a buzz or humming sound'
- borrowed βόμβος (bómbos) (Ancient Greek), 'any deep, hollow sound, humming, buzzing, booming, rumbling'
- borrowed (Pre-Greek)
- borrowed βόμβος (bómbos) (Ancient Greek), 'any deep, hollow sound, humming, buzzing, booming, rumbling'
- derived bombus (Latin), 'a buzz or humming sound'
- borrowed bomba (Italian), 'bomb'
- borrowed bombe (French), 'bomb (a device filled with explosives)'
Ancestors
- bombe (French)
- bomba (Italian)
- bombus (Latin)
- βόμβος (Ancient Greek)
Cognates and doublets
- bombe (English)
Descendants and derived words
- A-bomb (English)
- A-bomb (English)
- acid bomb (English)
- aerobomb (English)
- aerosol bomb (English)
- Agwa bomb (English)
- airbomb (English)
- antibomb (English)
- atom bomb (English)
- atomic bomb (English)
- baka bomb (English)
- barrel bomb (English)
Sources
- bomb (English) - Wiktionary
- bombus (Latin) - Wiktionary
- bombe (French) - Wiktionary
- bomba (Italian) - Wiktionary
- βόμβος (bómbos) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
Updated October 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris