bombardment

the word 'bombardment' originates from the late latin 'bombus', meaning a deep, hollow sound, which is onomatopoeic in origin. this passed into romance languages, giving rise to the old french 'bombarde', a name for an early cannon that made a booming noise. the verb 'bombard' was formed, meaning to attack with such artillery. the addition of the noun suffix '-ment', denoting the action or process, created 'bombardment'. thus, the term's logic evolved from the concept of a loud noise to the instrument that makes it, then to the act of using it, and finally to the sustained action or result of such an attack, which extends metaphorically to non-physical assaults.

Structure: bombard + ment bombard (from french 'bombarder', ultimately from latin 'bombus' meaning a booming sound, functioning as the verb base meaning to attack with bombs or artillery). ment (from latin '-mentum' via old french, a noun-forming suffix indicating the action or result of an action).