noun, feminine/baˈʝesta/plural: ballestas
crossbow (mechanised weapon, based on the bow and arrow); ballista (ancient military engine, in the form of a crossbow); leaf spring (spring in the form of a curved length of steel, used in the suspension of wheeled vehicles)
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH-der. Proto-Hellenic *gʷəlnō Ancient Greek βᾰ́λλω (bắllō) Ancient Greek βαλλίστρᾱ (ballístrā)der. Latin ballistader. Old Spanish ballesta Spanish ballesta Inherited from Old Spanish ballesta, from Latin ballista, from Ancient Greek βαλλίστρα (ballístra). Doublet of balista, which is a Latin borrowing.