Editing Bomb (section)

{{Short description|Explosive weapon that uses exothermic reaction}}
{{About|the explosive}}
{{Redirect|Bombing|artillery and aerial bombing|bombardment|other uses|The Bombing (disambiguation)}}
{{pp-semi-indef}}
[[File:Saarlouis Bombe.jpg|thumb|An iron [[grenade]] with a wooden [[fuse (explosives)|fuse]] from 1580]]
A '''bomb''' is an [[explosive weapon]] that uses the [[Exothermic process|exothermic reaction]] of an [[explosive material]] to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of [[energy]]. [[Detonation]]s inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted [[stress (mechanics)|mechanical stress]], the impact and penetration of pressure-driven projectiles, pressure damage, and explosion-generated effects.<ref name="Milstein 2008">{{cite book|last=Milstein|first=Randall L.|title=Forensic Science|url=https://archive.org/details/forensicscience00emba|url-access=limited|chapter=Bomb damage assessment|editor=Ayn Embar-seddon |editor2=Allan D. Pass |publisher=Salem Press|year=2008|page=[https://archive.org/details/forensicscience00emba/page/n185 166]|isbn=978-1-58765-423-7}}</ref> Bombs have been utilized since the 11th century starting in [[East Asia]].<ref name="Connolly"/>

The term ''bomb'' is not usually applied to explosive devices used for [[civilian]] purposes such as [[construction]] or [[mining]], although the people using the devices may sometimes refer to them as a "bomb". The military use of the term "bomb", or more specifically [[aerial bomb]] action, typically refers to airdropped, unpowered explosive weapons most commonly used by [[air force]]s and [[naval aviation]]. Other military explosive weapons not classified as "bombs" include [[shell (projectile)|shells]], [[depth charge]]s (used in water), or [[land mine]]s. In [[unconventional warfare]], other names can refer to a range of offensive weaponry. For instance, in recent [[asymmetric warfare|asymmetric]] conflicts, homemade bombs called "[[improvised explosive device]]s" (IEDs) have been employed by [[irregular forces]] to great effectiveness.

The word comes from the [[Latin]] {{lang|la|bombus}}, which in turn comes from the [[Greek language|Greek]] {{lang|grc|βόμβος}} [[romanized]] {{Transliteration|grc|bombos}},<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dbo%2Fmbos βόμβος] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131107082014/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dbo%2Fmbos |date=2013-11-07 }}, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', on Perseus</ref> an [[onomatopoeia|onomatopoetic]] term meaning 'booming', 'buzzing'.
[[File:Wind and dust bomb.jpg|thumb|180px|A "wind-and-dust" bomb depicted in the [[Ming Dynasty]] book ''[[Huolongjing]]''. The pot contains a tube of gunpowder, and was thrown at invaders.<ref name="Needham1986">{{cite book|first=Joseph |last=Needham|title=Military Technology: The Gunpowder Epic|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hNcZJ35dIyUC&pg=PR190|year=1986|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-30358-3|pages=189–190|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826100156/https://books.google.com/books?id=hNcZJ35dIyUC&pg=PR190|archive-date=2016-08-26}}</ref>]]