bombed
UK[bɒmd]US[bɑːmd]
v
(past tense and past participle of bomb) To attack a place with bombs or explosives.
v
(slang) To fail completely or perform very badly.
v
(slang) To become intoxicated, especially by drugs or alcohol.
Morpheme Breakdown
bomb
ed
bomb
ed
Etymology
The word 'bomb' entered English in the late 17th century from French 'bombe', which came from Italian 'bomba'. The Italian term is believed to be onomatopoeic, imitating the deep, resonant sound of an explosion. The suffix '-ed' is a native English grammatical marker with ancient Germanic roots, used consistently to indicate past action or state. Therefore, 'bombed' literally means "having undergone the action of a bomb," a meaning which extended metaphorically into slang to describe catastrophic failure or a state of severe intoxication, both conveying a sense of being devastated or overwhelmed.
Analysis
Structure: bomb + ed
bomb: From Italian 'bomba', likely of onomatopoeic origin, imitating a deep, hollow sound. Functions as the core root meaning an explosive device.
ed: A suffix of Old English origin, used to form the past tense and past participle of regular verbs.
Examples
The air force bombed the enemy's supply lines.
The new play bombed on Broadway and closed after only a week.
After finals week, they just wanted to relax and get bombed.