Slynger

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who throws stones or other projectiles by swinging a cord or strap called a sling
2. Someone who flings small missiles using a sling, a looped strap that is whirled and released
3. An operator of a sling, the simple weapon used to launch stones or pellets across distance

Etymology: Slynger is a Dutch word, and its roots go back to the sling itself. The Dutch "slinger" comes from the verb "slingeren," to swing or sway, and it shares an ancestry with the English "sling," which came into English from Old Norse "slyngva," meaning to hurl or fling. The Dutch word therefore names the person as the one who makes the cord swing, rather than the stone itself. Dutch has a range of related words that show how the idea spread. "Slinger" can also mean a pendulum or a swinging part of a machine, and the same root gives "slingeren," to sway or roll, as when a ship rocks on the waves. In these uses the image is always of something moving back and forth or around in an arc.