Avalanche

Pronunciation

• RP IPA: /ˈævÉ™lɑːnʃ/
• US IPA: /ˈævÉ™læntʃ/

Origin

From French, from Franco-Provencal (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’.

Full definition of avalanche

Noun

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

Verb

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