English

Noun

avalanche ‎(plural avalanches)

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

Synonyms

• snowslide, snowslip

Translations

Verb

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

1. (intransitive) To descend like an avalanche.
2. (transitive) To come down upon; to overwhelm.

   The shelf broke and the boxes avalanched the workers.

Translations

French

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• /avalɑ̩̃ʃ/

Noun

avalanche f ‎(plural avalanches)

1. avalanche

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• avalancha

Etymology

From French avalanche, from Savoyard Franco-Provençal avalançhe.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˌa.va.ˈlɐ̃.ʃi/

Noun

avalanche f (plural avalanches)

1. avalanche (large mass of snow sliding down a mountain side)
2. (figuratively) (sudden, great, or irresistible influx of anything)

Synonyms

• (mass of snow sliding down): alude