onager
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on·a·ger
(ŏn′ə-jər)n.
1. A wild ass (Equus hemionus) of Asia, having an erect mane, a light brown coat, and a dark stripe along the back.
2. An ancient and medieval catapult, often employing a wooden arm with a short sling.
[Middle English, from Late Latin, from Latin, wild ass, from Greek onagros : onos, ass; see asinine + agrios, wild; see agro- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
onager
(ˈɒnədʒə)n, pl -gri (-ˌɡraɪ) or -gers
1. (Animals) a Persian variety of the wild ass, Equus hemionus. Compare kiang
2. (Firearms, Gunnery, Ordnance & Artillery) an ancient war engine for hurling stones
[C14: from Late Latin: military engine for stone throwing, from Latin: wild ass, from Greek onagros, from onos ass + agros field]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
on•a•ger
(ˈɒn ə dʒər)n., pl. -gers, -gri (-ˌgraɪ)
1. a wild ass, Equus hemionus, of SW Asia.
2. a military catapult used in ancient and medieval times for throwing stones.
[1300–50; Middle English < Late Latin: machine for throwing projectiles, Latin wild ass < Greek ónagros (in both senses), alter. of ónos ágrios ass of the fields, wild ass (see acre)]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| Noun | 1. |  onager - an engine that provided medieval artillery used during sieges; a heavy war engine for hurling large stones and other missilesengine - an instrument or machine that is used in warfare, such as a battering ram, catapult, artillery piece, etc.; "medieval engines of war" |
| 2. |  onager - Asiatic wild ass |
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