billow

Definition

A large wave, swell, surge, or undulating mass of something, such as water, smoke, fabric or sound

Etymology

From Middle English *bilwe, borrowed from Old Norse bylgja, from Proto-Germanic *bulgijō. Cognates include Danish bølge (“wave”); Norwegian Bokmål bølge (“wave”), Norwegian Nynorsk bylgje (“wave”); Swedish bölja (“wave”); German Low German Bulge, Bulg, Bülg (“billow, wave”); German Bulge (“billow, wave”). Compare bellow, bawl.

Example Sentences

• "[…] Whom the winds waft where'er the billows roll, / From the world's girdle to the frozen pole;"
• "The snow fell hissing in the brine, / And the billows frothed like yeast."
• "But at that moment he is sprung upon by a panther billow leaping over the bulwarks. Wave after wave thus leaps into the ship […]"