avalanche

Definition

A large mass or body of snow and ice sliding swiftly down a mountain side, or falling down a precipice.

Etymology

From French avalanche, from Franco-Provençal (Savoy) avalançhe, blend of aval (“downhill”) and standard lavençhe, from Vulgar Latin *labanka (compare Occitan lavanca, Italian valanga), of uncertain origin, perhaps an alteration of Late Latin lābīna (“landslide”) (compare Franco-Provençal (Dauphiné) lavino, Romansch lavina), from Latin lābēs, from lābor (“to slip, slide”).

Example Sentences

• "They were drinking from a fountain / That was pouring like an avalanche / Coming down the mountain"
• "Yes, but she talked it away. She uses a whole language to herself. Her discourse is an avalanche of words, beneath which the hearers are overwhelmed."
• "I stepped into an avalanche, it covered up my soul"