Rocket Definition

rŏkĭt

rocketed, rocketing, rockets

noun

rockets

Any of various devices, typically cylindrical, containing liquid or solid propellants which when ignited produce hot gases or ions that escape through a rear vent and drive the container forward by the principle of reaction: simple rockets are used mainly as fireworks, signals, and projectile weapons, while more complex rockets are used to propel guided missiles, ballistic missiles, and spacecraft.

Webster's New World

A rocket engine.

Wiktionary

A vehicle or device propelled by one or more rocket engines, especially such a vehicle designed to travel through space.

American Heritage

A spacecraft, missile, probe, etc. propelled by a rocket.

Webster's New World

Any of various plants of the crucifer family, with white, yellow, pink, or purple flowers; esp., sea rocket (genus Cakile) found along seashores in Europe and North America.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

verb

rocketed, rocketing, rockets

To go like a rocket; dart ahead swiftly.

Webster's New World

To travel in a rocket.

Webster's New World

To fly swiftly straight up, as a game bird frightened from cover.

American Heritage

To convey in a rocket.

Webster's New World

To propel with or as with sudden force.

A hit song rocketing a singer to stardom.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

Other Word Forms of Rocket

Noun

Singular:

rocket

Plural:

rockets

Origin of Rocket

From Italian rocchetta, from Old Italian rochetto (“rocket", literally “a bobbin"), diminutive of rocca (“a distaff"), from Lombardic *rocco, *rocko (“a distaff"), from Proto-Germanic *rukkô (“a distaff"). Cognate with Old High German rocco, rocko, roccho, rocho ("a distaff"; > German Rocken (“a distaff")), Swedish rock (“a distaff"), Icelandic rokkur (“a distaff"), Middle English rocke (“a distaff"). More at rock⁴.

From Wiktionary
Middle English rokette from Old French roquete from Italian rochetta variant of ruchetta diminutive of ruca arugula from Latin ērūca

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
French roquette, Italian ruchetta, diminutive of ruca, Latin eruca. Cognate to arugula.

From Wiktionary
Italian rocchetta diminutive of rocca spindle, distaff of Germanic origin

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition