Editing Torpedo (section)

==Etymology==

The word ''torpedo'' was first used as a name for [[torpedo fish|electric rays]] (in the order ''[[Torpediniformes]]''), which in turn comes from the Latin word ''[[wikt:torpedo#Latin|torpēdō]]'' ("lethargy" or "sluggishness").<ref>{{cite web |title=torpedo (n.) |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/torpedo |website=Online Etymology Dictionary |publisher=Douglas Harper |access-date=28 March 2024}}</ref> In naval usage, the American inventor [[David Bushnell (inventor)|David Bushnell]] was reported to have first used the term as the name of a submarine of his own design, the "American Turtle or Torpedo." This usage likely inspired [[Robert Fulton]]'s use of the term to describe his stationary [[Naval mine|mines]], and later [[Robert Whitehead (engineer)|Robert Whitehead]]'s naming of the first self-propelled torpedo.<ref>{{cite web |title=torpedo |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/torpedo#:~:text=Like%20the%20adjective%20torpid%2C%20torpedo,fish%20that%20torpedo%20first%20entered |website=Merriam-Webster Dictionary | date=19 March 2024 |publisher=Merriam-Webster |access-date=28 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Navy's Use of Torpedoes |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/exploration-and-innovation/navy-torpedoes.html |website=Naval History and Heritage Command |publisher=U.S. Navy |access-date=28 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=HISTORY OF EARLY TORPEDOES (1800-1870) |url=https://maritime.org/doc/jolie/part1.php |publisher=San Francisco Maritime National Park Association |access-date=28 March 2024}}</ref>