Webster's English Dictionary

Enter the word to look up:

rocket

1. rock.et \'ra:k-*t, ra:-'ket\ n [MF roquette, fr. OIt rochetta, dim. of 
   ruca garden rocket, f]r. L eruca 1: a yellowish flowered European herb 
   (Eruca sativa) of the mustard f amily sometimes grown for salad 2: DAME'S 
   VIOLET; also : any of several plants resembling dam e's violet
2. rock.et \'ra:k-*t\ n [It rocchetta, lit., small distaff, fr. dim. of 
   rocca distaff, of G] often attrib mc origin; akin to OHG rocko distaff 1: a 
   firework consisting of a case partly filled with a combustible composi tion 
   fastened to a guiding stick and projected through the air by the reaction 
   resulting from the rearward discharge of the gases liberated by combustion; 
   also : such a device used as an incendiary weapon or as a propelling unit 
   (as for a lifesaving line or a whaling harpoon) 2: a jet engine that 
   operates on the same principle as the firework rocket,  consists 
   essentially of a combustion chamber and an exhaust nozzle, carries either 
   liquid or solid propellants which provide the fuel and oxygen needed for 
   combustion and thus make the engine independent of the oxygen of the air, 
   and is used esp. for the propulsion of a missile (as a bomb or shell) or a 
   vehicle (as an airplane) 3: a rocket-propelled bomb, missile, or projectile 
3. rock.et \'ra:k-*t\ vt : to convey by means of a rocket  1: to rise up 
   swiftly, spectacularly, and with force  2: to travel rapidly in or as if in 
   a rocket