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Webster 1913 Edition

Balloon

Bal-loon′

,
Noun.
[F.
ballon
, aug. of
balle
ball: cf. It.
ballone
. See 1st
Ball
,
Noun.
, and cf.
Pallone
.]
1.
A bag made of silk or other light material, and filled with hydrogen gas or heated air, so as to rise and float in the atmosphere; especially, one with a car attached for aërial navigation.
2.
(Arch.)
A ball or globe on the top of a pillar, church, etc., as at St. Paul’s, in London.
[R.]
3.
(Chem.)
A round vessel, usually with a short neck, to hold or receive whatever is distilled; a glass vessel of a spherical form.
4.
(Pyrotechnics)
A bomb or shell.
[Obs.]
5.
A game played with a large inflated ball.
[Obs.]
6.
(Engraving)
The outline inclosing words represented as coming from the mouth of a pictured figure.
Air balloon
,
a balloon for aërial navigation.
–
Balloon frame
(Carp.)
,
a house frame constructed altogether of small timber.
–
Balloon net
,
a variety of woven lace in which the weft threads are twisted in a peculiar manner around the warp.

Bal-loon′

,
Verb.
T.
To take up in, or as if in, a balloon.

Bal-loon′

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To go up or voyage in a balloon.
2.
To expand, or puff out, like a balloon.

Webster 1828 Edition

Balloon

BALLOON'

, n.
1.
In general, any spherical hollow body.
2.
In chimistry, a round vessel with a short neck, to receive whatever is distilled; a glass receiver of a spherical form.
3.
In architecture, a ball or globe, on the top of a pillar.
4.
In fireworks, a ball of pasteboard, or kind of bomb, stuffed with combustibles, to be played off, when fired, either in the air, or in water, which, bursting like a bomb, exhibits sparks of fire like stars.
5.
A game, somewhat resembling tennis, played in an open field, with a large ball of leather, inflated with wind.
6.
A bag or hollow vessel, made of silk or other light material, and filled with hydrogen gas or heated air, so as to rise and float in the atmosphere, called for distinction, an air-balloon.
7.
In France, a quantity of paper, containing 24 reams. [See Bale.]
8.
In France, balloon, ballon or ballot, a quantity of glass plates; of white glass, 25 bundles of six plates each; of colored glass, 12 1-2 bundles of three plates each.

BALLOON'

Definition 2024

balloon

balloon

English

Colorful toy balloons.

Noun

balloon ‎(plural balloons)

  1. An inflatable buoyant object, often (but not necessarily) round and flexible.
  2. Such an object as a child’s toy.
  3. Such an object designed to transport people through the air.
  4. (medicine) A sac inserted into part of the body for therapeutic reasons; such as angioplasty.
  5. A speech bubble.
  6. A type of glass cup, sometimes used for brandy.
  7. (architecture) A ball or globe on the top of a pillar, church, etc.
    the balloon of St. Paul's Cathedral in London
  8. (chemistry) A round vessel, usually with a short neck, to hold or receive whatever is distilled; a glass vessel of a spherical form.
  9. (pyrotechnics) A bomb or shell.
  10. A game played with a large inflated ball.
  11. (engraving) The outline enclosing words represented as coming from the mouth of a pictured figure.
  12. (slang) A woman’s breast.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

sac inserted into part of the body

Verb

balloon ‎(third-person singular simple present balloons, present participle ballooning, simple past and past participle ballooned)

  1. (intransitive) To increase or expand rapidly.
    His stomach ballooned from eating such a large meal.
    Prices will balloon if we don't act quickly.
    • 2016 May 23, Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, “Apocalypse pits the strengths of the X-Men series against the weaknesses”, in The Onion AV Club:
      For the franchise’s ballooning, unmanageable cast of mutants, picking sides now seems to have less to do with choosing between cooperation (which the recent movies implicitly distrust) and resistance, and more with whichever flashback-prone white dude’s overbearing savior complex works for you.
  2. (intransitive) To go up or voyage in a balloon.
  3. (transitive) To take up in, or as if in, a balloon.
  4. (transitive) To inflate like a balloon.
    • 1944, Emily Carr, The House of All Sorts, "Peach Scanties,"
      A puff of wind from the open door caught and ballooned the scanties; off they sailed, out the window billowing into freedom.

Translations

See also

Etymology

1570, "a game played with a large, inflated leather ball" (possibly via Middle French ballon) from Italian pallone "large ball" from palla "ball", from Lombardic *palla. The Northern Italian form, balla ‎(“ball shaped bundle”), today a doublet, likely derived from Old French balle, from Frankish balla ‎(“ball”), and may have influenced the spelling of this word. Both Germanic words are from Proto-Germanic *ballô ‎(“ball”), *balluz, from Proto-Indo-European *bholn- ‎(“bubble”), from Proto-Indo-European *bhel- ‎(“to blow, swell, inflate”). Akin to Old High German ballo, bal "ball" (German Ballen "bale"; Ball "ball"). More at ball.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /bəˈluːn/
  • Rhymes: -uːn

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