ball

ball

synonyms, antonyms, definitions, examples & translations of ball in English

English Online Dictionary. What means ball‎? What does ball mean?

English

Pronunciation

  • (UK) enPR: bôl, IPA(key): /bɔːl/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /bɔl/
  • (Canada, cot–caught merger) IPA(key): /bɑl/
  • Homophones: bawl (general), Basle (cot-caught merger)
  • Rhymes: -ɔːl

Etymology 1

From Middle English bal, ball, balle, from an unattested Old English *beall, *bealla (“round object, ball”) or Old Norse bǫllr (“a ball”), both from Proto-Germanic *balluz, *ballô (“ball”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰoln- (“bubble”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to blow, inflate, swell”). Cognate with Old Saxon ball, Dutch bal, Old High German bal, ballo (German Ball (“ball”); Ballen (“bale”)). Related forms in Romance are borrowings from Germanic. See also balloon, bale.

Noun

ball (countable and uncountable, plural balls)

  1. A solid or hollow sphere, or roughly spherical mass.
    1. A quantity of string, thread, etc., wound into a spherical shape.
  2. (mathematics) Homologue or analogue of a disk in the Euclidean plane.
    1. (mathematics) In 3-dimensional Euclidean space, the volume bounded by a sphere.
    2. (mathematics) The set of points in a metric space of any number of dimensions lying within a given distance (the radius) of a given point.
    3. (mathematics) The set of points in a topological space lying within some open set containing a given point.
  3. (ballistics, firearms) A solid, spherical nonexplosive missile for a cannon, rifle, gun, etc.
    1. A jacketed non-expanding bullet, typically of military origin.
    2. (uncountable, obsolete) Such bullets collectively.
  4. A roundish, protuberant portion of some part of the body.
    1. (anatomy) The front of the bottom of the foot, just behind the toes.
  5. The globe; the earthly sphere.
    • c. 1712', Joseph Addison, Ode to the Creator of the World
      What, though in solemn Silence, all / Move round the dark terrestrial Ball!
  6. (sports, countable) An object that is the focus of many sports and games, in which it may be thrown, caught, kicked, bounced, rolled, chased, retrieved, hit with an instrument, spun, etc., usually roughly spherical but whose size, weight, bounciness, colour, etc. differ according to the game
    1. (uncountable) Any sport or game involving a ball; its play, literally or figuratively.
    3. (baseball, countable) A pitch that falls outside of the strike zone.
    4. (pinball, countable) An opportunity to launch the pinball into play.
    5. (cricket, countable) A single delivery by the bowler, six of which make up an over.
    6. (soccer, countable) A pass; a kick of the football towards a teammate.
  7. (mildly vulgar, slang, usually in the plural) A testicle.
    1. (in the plural) Nonsense.
    2. (in the plural) Courage.
  8. (printing, historical) A leather-covered cushion, fastened to a handle called a ballstock; formerly used by printers for inking the form, then superseded by the roller.
  9. (farriery, historical) A large pill, a form in which medicine was given to horses; a bolus.
  10. (slang, countable, uncountable, singular only) One thousand US dollars.
Synonyms
  • sphere
  • globe
  • (testicle): See Thesaurus:testicle
  • (nonsense): See Thesaurus:nonsense
  • (courage): chutzpah, guts, nerve
Derived terms

(testicle):

Descendants
  • → Cantonese: 波 (bo1)
  • → Japanese: ボール (bōru)
  • → Makah: ba·la
  • → Yoruba: bọ́ọ̀lù
Translations

Verb

ball (third-person singular simple present balls, present participle balling, simple past and past participle balled)

  1. (transitive) To form or wind into a ball.
    Synonyms: roll up, wad
  2. (metalworking) To heat in a furnace and form into balls for rolling.
  3. (transitive, US, vulgar) To have sexual intercourse with.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:copulate with
  4. (transitive, intransitive) To gather balls which cling to the feet, as of damp snow or clay; to gather into balls.
  5. (slang, usually in present participle) To be hip or cool.
  6. (university slang) To reject from a fraternity or sorority. (Short for blackball.)
  7. (nonstandard, slang) To play basketball.
  8. (transitive) To punish by affixing a ball and chain.
  9. (transitive) Of bees: to kill (a wasp) by surrounding it in large numbers so as to raise its body heat.
Translations

Interjection

ball

  1. (Australian rules football) An appeal by the crowd for holding the ball against a tackled player. This is heard almost any time an opposition player is tackled, without regard to whether the rules about "prior opportunity" to dispose of the ball are fulfilled.

Etymology 2

From Middle French bal, from Middle French baler (“to dance”), from Old French baller, from Late Latin ballō (“to dance”).

Noun

ball (plural balls)

  1. A formal dance.
  2. (informal) A very enjoyable time.
    Synonyms: blast, whale of a time
  3. A competitive event among young African-American and Latin American LGBTQ+ people in which prizes are awarded for drag and similar performances. See ball culture.
Derived terms
Related terms
  • ballad
  • ballade
Translations

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from French bal (“a dance”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencian) [ˈbaʎ]
  • Rhymes: -aʎ

Noun

ball m (plural balls)

  1. dance
  2. ball, formal dance

Synonyms

  • dansa

Derived terms

  • ball de bastons

Related terms

  • ballar

Crimean Tatar

Etymology

Borrowed from French balle (“ball”).

Noun

ball

  1. estimation, score

Declension

References

  • Mirjejev, V. A., Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajinsʹko-krymsʹkotatarsʹkyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary]‎[10], Simferopol: Dolya, →ISBN

East Central German

Etymology

Compare German bald.

Adverb

ball

  1. (Erzgebirgisch) soon

Further reading

Icelandic

Etymology

From French bal (“a dance”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /palː/
  • Rhymes: -alː

Noun

ball n (genitive singular balls, nominative plural böll)

  1. dance

Declension

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish ball, from Proto-Celtic *ballos, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to blow, swell, inflate”); compare English ball, Greek φαλλός (phallós, “penis”).

Pronunciation

  • (Munster) IPA(key): /bˠɑul̪ˠ/
  • (Galway) IPA(key): /bˠɑːl̪ˠ/
  • (Mayo) IPA(key): /bˠal̪ˠ/
  • (Ulster) IPA(key): /bˠal̪ˠ/

Noun

ball m (genitive singular baill, nominative plural baill)

  1. (anatomy) organ
  2. component part
  3. member
  4. article
  5. spot, place
  6. spot, mark
  7. (sets) element, member

Declension

Derived terms

Mutation

Further reading

  • Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “ball”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
  • G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “ball”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
  • Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, page 79

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English *beall.

Noun

ball

  1. Alternative form of bal

Etymology 2

Probably from Old French bale.

Noun

ball

  1. Alternative form of bale (“bale”)

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From Old Norse bǫllr.

Noun

ball m (definite singular ballen, indefinite plural baller, definite plural ballene)

  1. ball (solid or hollow sphere)
  2. ball (object, usually spherical, used for playing games)
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Borrowed from French bal.

Noun

ball n (definite singular ballet, indefinite plural ball or baller, definite plural balla or ballene)

  1. ball (formal social occasion involving dancing)
Derived terms
  • ballkjole
  • ballsal

References

  • “ball” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From Old Norse bǫllr.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /balː/
  • IPA(key): /baʎː/ (palatalized, Trøndelag and Northern Norway)

Noun

ball m (definite singular ballen, indefinite plural ballar, definite plural ballane)

  1. a ball (solid or hollow sphere)
  2. a ball (object, usually spherical, used for playing games)
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Borrowed from French bal.

Noun

ball n (definite singular ballet, indefinite plural ball, definite plural balla)

  1. ball (formal social occasion involving dancing)
Derived terms
  • ballkjole
  • ballsal

References

  • “ball” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *ballos.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [bal͈]

Noun

ball m

  1. a body part
  2. member of a group
    • c. 800–825, Diarmait, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 89c11
  3. part, portion
  4. a colored spot

Declension

Descendants

  • Irish: ball
  • Scottish Gaelic: ball

Mutation

Further reading

  • G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “ball”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Scottish Gaelic

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /paul̪ˠ/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish ball m (“limb, member, organ; member of community; part, portion, piece; article, object; place, spot; passage (of a book); spot, mark, blemish”) (compare Irish ball), from Proto-Celtic *ballos, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to blow, swell, inflate”) (compare English ball, Ancient Greek φαλλός (phallós, “penis”)).

Noun

ball m (genitive singular buill, plural buill)

  1. member (of a group)
  2. article, item
  3. (anatomy) organ; limb
Derived terms
  • Ball Pàrlamaid, BP (“Member of Parliament, MP”)
  • ballrachd (“membership”)
  • BPA

Etymology 2

From Middle English bal and/or Old Norse bǫllr (“a ball”), both from Proto-Germanic *balluz, *ballô (“ball”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to blow, inflate, swell”).

Noun

ball m (genitive singular buill, plural buill)

  1. ball
Derived terms

Mutation

Further reading

  • Edward Dwelly (1911) “ball”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎[12], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
  • G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “ball”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Swedish

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈbalː/

Adjective

ball

  1. (slang) cool, hip, fun, entertaining
    Synonym: cool

Declension

Yola

Etymology

From Middle English bal, from Old English *beall.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /baɫ/

Noun

ball

  1. ball

Derived terms

  • balbeedhel

References

  • Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 84

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This article based on an article on Wiktionary. The list of authors can be seen in the page history there. The original work has been modified. This article is distributed under the terms of this license.