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Webster's Dictionary (1865)

Tor-pē'do, n.

noun

n.; pl. TOR-PĒ'DŌES. [Lat., from torpere, to be stiff, numb, or torpid.]

  1. (Ichth.) A species of ray (Torpedo vulgaris), having electric power. It is found in the Mediterranean and Atlantic, and was anciently used, according to Galen, to cure headaches. It is also called cramp-fish.
  2. An engine or machine invented for the purpose of destroying ships by blowing them up.
  3. A kind of fire-work in the form of a small ball or pellet, which explodes when thrown upon a hard object.
An illustration of a torpedo ray, shown from above with its broad disc-shaped body and long tail.
Torpedo, or Cramp-fish (Torpedo vulgaris).