TORPEDINOUS
Tor*ped"i*nous, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to a torpedo; resembling a torpedo; exerting a benumbing influence; stupefying; dull; torpid. Fishy were his eyes; torpedinous was his manner. De Quincey.
TORPEDO Tor*pe"do, n.; pl. Torpedoes. Etym: [L. torpedo, -inis, from torpere to be stiff, numb, or torpid. See Torpid.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of numerous species of elasmobranch fishes belonging to Torpedo and allied genera. They are related to the rays, but have the power of giving electrical shocks. Called also crampfish, and numbfish. See Electrical fish, under Electrical.
Note: The common European torpedo (T. vulgaris) and the American species (T. occidentalis) are the best known.
2. An engine or machine for destroying ships by blowing them up. Specifically: — (a) A quantity of explosives anchored in a channel, beneath the water, or set adrift in a current, and so arranged that they will be exploded when touched by a vessel, or when an electric circuit is closed by an operator on shore. (b) A kind of small submarine boat carrying an explosive charge, and projected from a ship against another ship at a distance, or made self-propelling, and otherwise automatic in its action against a distant ship.
3. (Mil.)
Defn: A kind of shell or cartridge buried in earth, to be exploded by electricity or by stepping on it.
4. (Railroad)