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torpille

torpedo

noun tor-PEE Rare

Usage Note

Torpille refers both to the naval weapon and, historically, to the electric ray fish whose shock inspired the weapon's name. In informal speech it can describe something that sinks a plan, echoing the English metaphor. The verb torpiller means to torpedo (literally or figuratively).

Examples

"Le sous-marin a lancé une torpille."

Natural Translation

The submarine launched a torpedo.

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