avalanche

CEFRB2

/ˈævəlɑːnʃ/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A large mass of snow, ice, or rock sliding down a mountain.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A fall of earth, rocks, etc., similar to that of an avalanche of snow or ice.

Examples

  • A small snowball is capable of starting an avalanche.

  • As soon as you contact your friends, tell them that an avalanche is coming.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
4

Also pronounced

  • /ˈævəlæn(t)ʃ/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A sudden, great, or irresistible descent or influx; anything like an avalanche in suddenness and overwhelming quantity.

  2. A large mass or body of snow and ice sliding swiftly down a mountain side, or falling down a precipice.

verb

Extra meaning

  1. To descend like an avalanche.

More examples

In context

  • The shelf broke and the boxes avalanched the workers.

  • They were drinking from a fountain / That was pouring like an avalanche / Coming down the mountain

  • Yes, but she talked it away. She uses a whole language to herself. Her discourse is an avalanche of words, beneath which the hearers are overwhelmed.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

A sudden loud noise triggered a massive blank that buried the entire ski lodge under snow and ice.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From French avalanche, from Franco-Provençal (Savoy) avalançhe, blend of aval (“downhill”) and standard lavençhe, from Vulgar Latin *labanka (compare Occitan lavanca, Italian valanga), of uncertain origin, perhaps an alteration of Late Latin lābīna (“landslide”) (compare Franco-Provençal (Dauphiné) lavino, Romansh lavina), from Latin lābēs, from lābor (“to slip, slide”).