bomb (English)

Where does "bomb" come from?

The word 'bomb' traces its history back to the Ancient Greek word 'bómbos,' an onomatopoeic term used to describe a deep, booming, or humming noise. This sound-based word traveled through Latin as 'bombus' and Italian as 'bomba' before entering French and finally English. Over time, the term shifted from describing the simple resonance of a sound to naming the explosive devices that produce such a roar.

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'
      • inherited bombus (Latin), 'a buzz or humming sound'
        • borrowed βόμβος (bómbos) (Ancient Greek), 'any deep, hollow sound, humming, buzzing, booming, rumbling'

Direct ancestors

• bombe (French)
• bomba (Italian)
• bombus (Latin)
• βόμβος (Ancient Greek)
• bombe (English)

Updated June 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris