catapult vs flechette

catapult

noun
  • An instance of firing a missile from a catapult. 

  • A device or weapon for throwing or launching large objects. 

  • A mechanical aid on aircraft carriers designed to help airplanes take off from the flight deck. 

  • An instance of firing something, as if from a catapult. 

  • A slingshot. 

verb
  • To be fired from a catapult or as if from a catapult. 

  • To fire a missile from a catapult. 

  • To fire or launch something, as if from a catapult. 

  • To have one's status increased rapidly. 

  • To increase the status of something rapidly. 

flechette

noun
  • A small sharp antipersonnel projectile, used as shrapnel, fired from a shotgun, or scattered from an aircraft. 

How often have the words catapult and flechette occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )