avalanche

[ av-uh-lanch, -lahnch ]

noun

1. a large mass of snow, ice, etc., detached from a mountain slope and sliding or falling suddenly downward.
2. anything like an avalanche in suddenness and overwhelming quantity:

   an avalanche of misfortunes; an avalanche of fan mail.

3. Also called Townsend avalanche. Physics, Chemistry. a cumulative ionization process in which the ions and electrons of one generation undergo collisions that produce a greater number of ions and electrons in succeeding generations.

verb (used without object)

, av·a·lanched, av·a·lanch·ing.

1. to come down in, or like, an avalanche.

verb (used with object)

, av·a·lanched, av·a·lanch·ing.

1. to overwhelm with an extremely large amount of anything; swamp.

avalanche

/ ˈævəˌlɑːntʃ /

noun

1. 1. a fall of large masses of snow and ice down a mountain
   2. a fall of rocks, sand, etc
2. a sudden or overwhelming appearance of a large quantity of things

   an avalanche of letters

3. physics a group of ions or electrons produced by a single ion or electron as a result of a collision with some other form of matter

verb

1. to come down overwhelmingly (upon)

avalanche

/ ăv′ə-lănch′ /

1. The sudden fall or slide of a large mass of material down the side of a mountain. Avalanches may contain snow, ice, rock, soil, or a mixture of these materials. Avalanches can be triggered by changes in temperature, by sound vibrations, or by vibrations in the earth itself.
2. A process resulting in the production of large numbers of ionized particles, in which electrons or ions collide with molecules, with each collision itself producing an additional electron or ion that in turn collides with other molecules. Avalanches are what generate the pulses of electric current that are registered by Geiger counters.

Word History and Origins

Origin of avalanche¹

1755–65; < French < dial. (Savoy) avalantse, alteration (by association with avaler to descend rapidly) of laventse < pre-Latin (perhaps Ligurian) *lavanca, or reshaping of Late Latin labīna landslide (derivative of Latin labī to slide) with a pre-Latin suffix -anca

Word History and Origins

Origin of avalanche¹

C18: from French, by mistaken division from la valanche, from valanche, from (northwestern Alps) dialect lavantse; related to Old Provençal lavanca, of obscure origin

Example Sentences

And Duke was a closet Nazi getting exposed by an avalanche of reporting.

From The Daily Beast

Horst Ulrich, a 72-year-old German on a trek with a group of friends, watched four Nepali guides swept away by an avalanche.

From The Daily Beast

It was an avalanche in lower Manhattan, reaching 2.4 on the Richter scale.

From The Daily Beast

And after enough snowflakes of conflict comes the avalanche.

From The Daily Beast

Many of the other Nepali Sherpas working on the mountain witnessed the avalanche as it covered their friends and fellow workers.

From The Daily Beast

However that may be, they were overtaken by an avalanche, the mother was buried beneath it, and the child saw her no more.

From Project Gutenberg

When we cut out the foundation—they're afraid that the vibration will loosen the rest and start an avalanche.

From Project Gutenberg

Sheppy was coming around the corner of the granary in his most sedate manner, when the pop-eyed avalanche almost stepped on him.

From Project Gutenberg

One man of our acquaintance was caught by a descending avalanche and swept down the hill by the moving mass.

From Project Gutenberg

At one particular place an enormous avalanche is an annual event, owing to the peculiar configuration of the gorges.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• barrage
• deluge
• flood
• landslide
• torrent