noun pl. volleys
- the simultaneous discharge of a number of firearms or other weapons
- the bullets, arrows, etc. discharged in this way
- a burst of words or acts suggestive of this: a volley of curses, questions, etc.
- Sports
- the act of returning the ball, shuttlecock, etc. in certain games before it touches the ground
- the flight of the ball, etc. before it touches the ground
- loosely any extended exchange of shots, as in tennis or volleyball, esp. such an exchange in warming up for a game
Origin:
MFr volee < VL *volata < fem. of L volatus, pp. of volare, to fly
transitive verb volleyed, volleying
- to discharge in or as in a volley
- Sports to return (the ball, etc.) as a volley