Bom"bard (&?;), n. [F. bombarde, LL. bombarda, fr. L. bombus + -ard. Cf. Bumper, and see Bomb.] 1. (Gun.) A piece of heavy ordnance formerly used for throwing stones and other ponderous missiles. It was the earliest kind of cannon.

They planted in divers places twelve great bombards, wherewith they threw huge stones into the air, which, falling down into the city, might break down the houses.
Knolles.

2. A bombardment. [Poetic & R.] J. Barlow.

3. A large drinking vessel or can, or a leather bottle, for carrying liquor or beer. [Obs.]

Yond same black cloud, yond huge one, looks like a foul bombard that would shed his liquor.
Shak.

4. pl. Padded breeches. [Obs.]

Bom"bard (&?;), n. [OE. bombarde, fr. F. bombarde.] (Mus.) See Bombardo. [Obs.]

Bom*bard" (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bombarded; p. pr. & vb. n. Bombarding.] To attack with bombards or with artillery; especially, to throw shells, hot shot, etc., at or into.

Next, she means to bombard Naples.
Burke.

His fleet bombarded and burnt down Dieppe.
Wood.

• To attack something with bombs, artillery shells, or other missiles. Syn. to bomb.
  
• (physics) to direct an intense stream of high-energy particles, usually sub-atomic or made of at most a few atoms, at a substance.
  
• (figurative) to supply large amounts of information, questions, etc. to a person or entity. The company was bombarded with enquiries.
       Translations
       *Chinese: 到炸弹
       *Dutch: bombarderen
       *Esperanto: bombi
       *French: bombarder
       *Galician: bombardear
       *German: bombardieren
       * (io): bombardar
       *Indonesian: membomi, memborbardir
       *Interlingua: bombardar, bombar
       *Italian: bombardare
       *Japanese: 爆撃 (ばくげき, bakugeki)
       *Korean: 폭격하다 (pokgyeokhada)
       *Latin: urbem tormentis verberare, bombardare
       *Norwegian: bombe
       *Portuguese: bombardear
       *Spanish: bombardear
       *Volapük: boumön
  
• a medieval form of cannon, used chiefly in sieges for throwing heavy stone balls.