pyrobolus

Latin

Borrowed from Byzantine Greek πυροβόλος (purobólos, “flamethrower; cannon”),^[1] from πῦρ (pûr, “fire”) + βόλος (bólos, “thrower”). Attested in Medieval Latin in Peter Damian (11th century) in reference to certain fiery rocks.

pyrobolus m (genitive pyrobolī); second declension (New Latin)

cannon
Synonym: tormentum
- 1550, Antonio Mizauld, Aesculapii et Uraniae Medicum […], page 4:
  Quam rem dum visum erit, experiundo condiscetis, excusso à pyrobolo de ipso lapide igni: qui profectò tam acer est, vt aridis exceptus fomentis, populosam vrbem, ac vastissimam syluam leuiter incendere possit, & in cineres illico conuertere.
  (please add an English translation of this quotation)
bomb, shell
Synonym: bombus
- 1719, Johannes Knippenbergh, “Continuatio Historiæ Ecclesiasticæ Ducatus Geldriæ Ab Anno MDCCI usque ad Annum MDCCXXV”, in Historia Ecclesiastica Ducatus Geldriæ […], page 5:
  […] inter tormentorum globos interludebant alii missiles ignes, bombæ nempe, ac pyroboli ex mortariis minoribus (haubitzen vocant, recens inventum) ejaculati, eo igne Conventus Monialium Annuntiatarum in Cedron, aliæque domus portæ tiegelensi vicinæ ardebant; […]
  (please add an English translation of this quotation)

^ Cf. στρεπτῶν ἐγχειριδίων πυροβόλων, “swivel-tube handheld flamethrowers” in Hero of Byzantium (c. 10th century), Parangelmata Poliorcetica 49.20, and the comments in Denis F. Sullivan (2000) Siegecraft: Two Tenth-century Instructional Manuals by “Heron of Byzantium” (Dumbarton Oaks Studies), page 231.