bazooka
UK[bəˈzuː.kə]US[bəˈzuː.kə]
n
a portable weapon that fires a rocket and is used against tanks or other armored vehicles.
n
a large, low-pitched brass musical instrument resembling a trombone.
Etymology
the word 'bazooka' is a 20th-century american english invention. it was originally the name of a crude, homemade musical instrument, a type of pipe horn, created and named by american comedian bob burns around 1935. its whimsical, onomatopoeic name was then humorously applied to the new shoulder-fired anti-tank rocket launcher during world war ii due to its visual resemblance to the musical instrument. the term is thus a modern coinage with no classical roots, representing a case of semantic extension based on shape and popular culture.
Analysis
this word is a loanword and a simplex form. it does not contain separable morphemes within its modern english spelling.
Examples
the soldier aimed the bazooka at the advancing tank.
the museum displayed a world war ii-era bazooka alongside its ammunition.
in the marching band, he played a comically large bazooka trombone.