billow
[ bil-oh ]
/ ˈbɪl oʊ /
noun
a great wave or surge of the sea.
any surging mass: billows of smoke.
verb (used without object)
to rise or roll in or like billows; surge.
to swell out, puff up, etc., as by the action of wind: flags billowing in the breeze.
verb (used with object)
to make rise, surge, swell, or the like: A sudden wind billowed the tent alarmingly.
Words nearby billow
Origin of billow
1545–55; < Old Norse bylgja wave, cognate with Middle Low German bulge; akin to Old English gebylgan to anger, provoke
OTHER WORDS FROM billow
un·der·bil·low, verb (used without object)Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for billowing
British Dictionary definitions for billowing
billow
/ (ˈbɪləʊ) /
noun
a large sea wave
a swelling or surging mass, as of smoke or sound
a large atmospheric wave, usually in the lee of a hill
(plural) poetic the sea itself
verb
to rise up, swell out, or cause to rise up or swell out
Derived forms of billow
billowing, adjective, nounWord Origin for billow
C16: from Old Norse bylgja; related to Swedish bōlja, Danish bölg, Middle High German bulge; see bellow, belly
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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