Definition of Boomerang

1. Noun. A curved piece of wood; when properly thrown will return to thrower.

Exact synonyms: Throw Stick, Throwing Stick
Specialized synonyms: Kiley, Kylie
Generic synonyms: Missile, Projectile
Geographical relationships: Australia, Commonwealth Of Australia

2. Verb. Return to the initial position from where it came; like a boomerang.
Generic synonyms: Return

3. Noun. A miscalculation that recoils on its maker.
Exact synonyms: Backfire
Generic synonyms: Miscalculation, Misestimation, Misreckoning
Derivative terms: Backfire

Definition of Boomerang

1. n. A very singular missile weapon used by the natives of Australia and in some parts of India. It is usually a curved stick of hard wood, from twenty to thirty inches in length, from two to three inches wide, and half or three quarters of an inch thick. When thrown from the hand with a quick rotary motion, it describes very remarkable curves, according to the shape of the instrument and the manner of throwing it, often moving nearly horizontally a long distance, then curving upward to a considerable height, and finally taking a retrograde direction, so as to fall near the place from which it was thrown, or even far in the rear of it.

Definition of Boomerang

1. Noun. A flat curved airfoil, that spins about an axis perpendicular to the direction of flight, that was originally used in various parts of the world as hunting weapons or, in returnable types, for sports or training. ¹

2. Verb. To return to the starting point. ¹

3. Verb. To travel in a curved path. ¹

4. Verb. To return or rebound unexpectedly, especially when the result is undesired; to backfire. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Boomerang

1. [v -ED, -ING, -S]

Medical Definition of Boomerang

1. A very singular missile weapon used by the natives of Australia and in some parts of India. It is usually a curved stick of hard wood, from twenty to thirty inches in length, from two to three inches wide, and half or three quarters of an inch thick. When thrown from the hand with a quick rotary motion, it describes very remarkable curves, according to the shape of the instrument and the manner of throwing it, often moving nearly horizontally a long distance, then curving upward to a considerable height, and finally taking a retrograde direction, so as to fall near the place from which it was thrown, or even far in the rear of it. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Boomerang

boom bap
boom box
boom boxes
boom out
boom town
boom vang
boom vangs
boomage
boombox
boomboxes
boomburb
boomburbs
boomdas
boomed
boomer
boomerang (current term)
boomerang-child
boomerang baby
boomerang child
boomerang children
boomerang kid
boomeranged
boomeranger
boomerangers
boomeranging
boomeranglike
boomerangs
boomeritis
boomers
boomier

Literary usage of Boomerang

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The Advanced Part of A Treatise on the Dynamics of a System of Rigid Bodies by Edward John Routh (1905)
"The boomerang. As another illustration of how the apparent effect of a force is modified by a rapid rotation of the body we may consider the flight of a ..."

2. A Handy Book of Curious Information: Comprising Strange Happenings in the by William Shepard Walsh (1913)
"In an expert hand the boomerang is a formidable weapon, striking without revealing ... Hence the frequent application to the boomerang of the Shakespearean ..."

3. The American Antiquarian and Oriental Journal by Stephen Denison Peet (1905)
"There are many countries in which the boomerang is still in use, ... Here the boomerang is the chief weapon of the various savage tribes, ..."

4. A Treatise on Gyrostatics and Rotational Motion: Theory and Applications by Andrew Gray (1918)
"It will be seen that to an observer in front of the boomerang, looking from X, say, towards O, the turning of the plane about OX is counterclockwise, ..."

5. Proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1859)
"I SHALL arrange the remarks which I have to offer on the boomerang under ... What appears to be. the boomerang is delineated, among other weapons, &c., ..."

6. The Uncivilized Races of Men in All Countries of the World: Being a by John George Wood (1879)
"The attitude of the man as he hurls the boomerang is singularly graceful. ... Balancing the boomerang for a moment in his han 1, he suddenly steps a pace or ..."

7. The Advanced Part of A Treatise on the Dynamics of a System of Rigid Bodies by Edward John Routh (1905)
"The boomerang. As another illustration of how the apparent effect of a force is modified by a rapid rotation of the body we may consider the flight of a ..."

8. A Handy Book of Curious Information: Comprising Strange Happenings in the by William Shepard Walsh (1913)
"In an expert hand the boomerang is a formidable weapon, striking without revealing ... Hence the frequent application to the boomerang of the Shakespearean ..."

9. The American Antiquarian and Oriental Journal by Stephen Denison Peet (1905)
"There are many countries in which the boomerang is still in use, ... Here the boomerang is the chief weapon of the various savage tribes, ..."

10. A Treatise on Gyrostatics and Rotational Motion: Theory and Applications by Andrew Gray (1918)
"It will be seen that to an observer in front of the boomerang, looking from X, say, towards O, the turning of the plane about OX is counterclockwise, ..."

11. Proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1859)
"I SHALL arrange the remarks which I have to offer on the boomerang under ... What appears to be. the boomerang is delineated, among other weapons, &c., ..."

12. The Uncivilized Races of Men in All Countries of the World: Being a by John George Wood (1879)
"The attitude of the man as he hurls the boomerang is singularly graceful. ... Balancing the boomerang for a moment in his han 1, he suddenly steps a pace or ..."

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