What does Avalanche mean?

Definitions for Avalanche
ˈæv əˌlæntʃ, -ˌlɑntʃavalanche

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word Avalanche.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. avalanchenoun

    a slide of large masses of snow and ice and mud down a mountain

  2. avalancheverb

    a sudden appearance of an overwhelming number of things

    "the program brought an avalanche of mail"

  3. avalanche, roll downverb

    gather into a huge mass and roll down a mountain, of snow

Wiktionary

  1. avalanchenoun

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

  2. avalanchenoun

    A fall of earth, rocks, etc., similar to that of an avalanche of snow or ice.

  3. avalanchenoun

    A sudden, great, or irresistible descent or influx of anything.

  4. avalanchenoun

    Anything like an avalanche in suddenness and overwhelming quantity (like a barrage, blitz, etc).

  5. avalancheverb

    To descend like an avalanche.

  6. avalancheverb

    To come down upon; to overwhelm.

    The shelf broke and the boxes avalanched the workers.

  7. Etymology: Swiss French, from (Savoy) avalançhe, blend of aval ‘downhill’ and standard lavençhe, from labanka (cf. Occitan lavanca, Italian valanga), alteration of labina ‘landslide’ (cf. Franco-Provençal (Dauphiné) lavino, Romansch lavina), from Latin labi ‘to slip, slide’.

Wikipedia

  1. Avalanche

    An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain.Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and earthquakes. Primarily composed of flowing snow and air, large avalanches have the capability to capture and move ice, rocks, and trees. Avalanches occur in two general forms, or combinations thereof: slab avalanches made of tightly packed snow, triggered by a collapse of an underlying weak snow layer, and loose snow avalanches made of looser snow. After being set off, avalanches usually accelerate rapidly and grow in mass and volume as they capture more snow. If an avalanche moves fast enough, some of the snow may mix with the air, forming a powder snow avalanche. Though they appear to share similarities, avalanches are distinct from slush flows, mudslides, rock slides, and serac collapses. They are also different from large scale movements of ice. Avalanches can happen in any mountain range that has an enduring snowpack. They are most frequent in winter or spring, but may occur at any time of year. In mountainous areas, avalanches are among the most serious natural hazards to life and property, so great efforts are made in avalanche control. There are many classification systems for the different forms of avalanches, which vary according to their users' needs. Avalanches can be described by their size, destructive potential, initiation mechanism, composition, and dynamics.

ChatGPT

  1. avalanche

    An avalanche is a rapid flow or slide of large masses, typically involving snow and ice, down a mountainside. It is caused due to slope instability and can also include mud, rocks, soil, and debris. This natural disaster is usually triggered by factors such as weather conditions, temperature changes, snowfall, wind direction, slope steepness, terrain, and human activity. It can pose a significant danger to life and property given its speed and mass.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Avalanchenoun

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

  2. Avalanchenoun

    a fall of earth, rocks, etc., similar to that of an avalanche of snow or ice

  3. Avalanchenoun

    a sudden, great, or irresistible descent or influx of anything

  4. Etymology: [F. avalanche, fr. avaler to descend, to let down, from aval down, downward; (L. ad) + val, L. vallis, valley. See Valley.]

Wikidata

  1. Avalanche

    Avalanche is a Marvel Comics supervillain and an enemy of the X-Men. A Cretan mutant, Avalanche possesses the ability to generate seismic waves from his hands that are strong enough to create earthquakes of varying sizes and to disintegrate any substance other than living tissue. He has been a member of the Brotherhood of Mutants and Freedom Force. The animated series X-Men: Evolution portrays him as Lance Alvers, a misguided mutant teenager and one time romantic love interest of the X-Men's Shadowcat.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Avalanche

    av′al-ansh, n. a mass of snow and ice sliding down from a mountain: a snow-slip.—v.i. Avāle′ (Spens.), to descend.—v.t. (Spens.) to cause to descend. [Fr. avaler, to slip down—L. ad, to, vall-em, the valley.]

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of Avalanche in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of Avalanche in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of Avalanche in a Sentence

  1. Indiana Gov. Mike Pence:

    Here, Indiana steps forward to protect the constitutional rights and privileges of freedom of religion for people of faith and families of faith for people in our state and this avalanche of intolerance has been poured upon the people of our state.

  2. Amit Chowdhary:

    There was a trail of the climbers there and the trail ended in an avalanche. There was evidence of a very large avalanche.

  3. Emerson Torre:

    It was like an avalanche, it fell all at once. I’ve never seen anything like it, every neighbor has lost a loved one, has lost two, three, four members of the same family, kids.

  4. Debra Katz:

    It is simply not possible for her to prepare such testimony while at the same time trying to take appropriate security precautions in the face of the avalanche of threats she has been receiving.

  5. Sam Lavigne:

    We wanted to see if people would be interested in meeting other people just based on this one bit of information rather than this avalanche of information that you usually get, whoa! This one is ready to go!

Popularity rank by frequency of use

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Translations for Avalanche

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"Avalanche." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/Avalanche>.

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