avalanche

av·a·lanche

Avalanche warning signs.

noun

The definition of avalanche means a massive quantity of something that comes suddenly such as snow, ice, earth or rocks that come loose and speed down a mountain.

An example of avalanche is a glacier that splits from a cliff face and hurdles down the side of a mountain.
An example of avalanche is getting an unusually large amount of mail on a certain day.

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"avalanche." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 13 October 2018. <http://www.yourdictionary.com/Avalanche>.

APA Style

avalanche. (n.d.). Retrieved October 13th, 2018, from http://www.yourdictionary.com/Avalanche

avalanche

a mass of loosened snow, earth, rocks, etc. suddenly and swiftly sliding down a mountain, often growing as it descends
any large, overwhelming quantity that comes suddenly: an avalanche of mail, of blows, etc.

Origin of avalanche

French (altered after avaler, to descend) from lavanche from Provençal lavanca from an unverified form lavenca, probably a pre-Roman word in a non-IE language of northern Italy

intransitive verb

transitive verb

-·lanched·, -·lanch·ing

to come down (on) like an avalanche

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MLA Style

"avalanche." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 13 October 2018. <http://www.yourdictionary.com/Avalanche>.

APA Style

avalanche. (n.d.). Retrieved October 13th, 2018, from http://www.yourdictionary.com/Avalanche

avalanche

noun

A fall or slide of a large mass of material, especially of snow, down a mountainside.
A massive or overwhelming amount; a flood: received an avalanche of mail.

verb

av·a·lanched, av·a·lanch·ing, av·a·lanch·es

verb

intransitive

To fall or slide in a massive or overwhelming amount.

verb

transitive

To overwhelm; inundate.

Origin of avalanche

FrenchProvençal lavanca ravine perhaps ultimately from Latin lābī to slip

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"avalanche." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 13 October 2018. <http://www.yourdictionary.com/Avalanche>.

APA Style

avalanche. (n.d.). Retrieved October 13th, 2018, from http://www.yourdictionary.com/Avalanche

Noun

(plural avalanches)

A large mass or body of snow and ice sliding swiftly down a mountain side, or falling down a precipice.
A fall of earth, rocks, etc., similar to that of an avalanche of snow or ice.
A sudden, great, or irresistible descent or influx of anything.
Anything like an avalanche in suddenness and overwhelming quantity (like a barrage, blitz, etc).

Verb

(third-person singular simple present avalanches, present participle avalanching, simple past and past participle avalanched)

(intransitive) To descend like an avalanche.
To come down upon; to overwhelm.
The shelf broke and the boxes avalanched the workers.

Origin

From French, from Franco-Provençal (Savoy) avalançhe, blend of aval ‘downhill’ and standard lavençhe, from Vulgar Latin *labanka (cf. Occitan lavanca, Italian valanga), alteration of Late Latin labina ‘landslide’ (cf. Franco-Provençal (Dauphiné) lavino, Romansch lavina), from Latin labi ‘to slip, slide’.