Ricochet
WordNet
noun
(1) A glancing rebound
verb
(2) Spring back; spring away from an impact
"The rubber ball bounced"
"These particles do not resile but they unite after they collide"
WiktionaryText
Noun
- A method of firing a projectile so that it skips along a surface.
- An instance of ricocheting; a glancing rebound.
Etymology
Origin uncertain.
- The word first appears in the phrases chanson du/de riochet, fable du ricochet. This is apparently related to other story-titles such as the fable du rouge kokelet; other dialectal terms such as and Norman has led to theories that the word originally indicated a "young cock". The sense-development is unclear.