From Middle Englishbal, ball, balle, from an unattested Old English*beall, *bealla(“round object, ball”) or Old Norsebǫllr(“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 Saxonball, Dutchbal, Old High Germanbal, ballo (GermanBall(“ball”); Ballen(“bale”)). Related forms in Romance are borrowings from Germanic. See also balloon, bale.
Noun
ball (countable and uncountable, pluralballs)
A solid or hollow sphere, or roughly spherical mass.
A quantity of string, thread, etc., wound into a spherical shape.
(mathematics) Homologue or analogue of a disk in the Euclidean plane.
(mathematics) In 3-dimensional Euclidean space, the volume bounded by a sphere.
(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.
(mathematics) The set of points in a topological space lying within some open set containing a given point.
(ballistics, firearms) A solid, spherical nonexplosive missile for a cannon, rifle, gun, etc.
A jacketed non-expanding bullet, typically of military origin.
(uncountable, obsolete) Such bullets collectively.
A roundish, protuberant portion of some part of the body.
(anatomy) The front of the bottom of the foot, just behind the toes.
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!
(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
(uncountable) Any sport or game involving a ball; its play, literally or figuratively.
(baseball, countable) A pitch that falls outside of the strike zone.
(pinball, countable) An opportunity to launch the pinball into play.
(cricket, countable) A single delivery by the bowler, six of which make up an over.
(soccer, countable) A pass; a kick of the football towards a teammate.
(mildly vulgar, slang, usually in the plural) A testicle.
(in the plural) Nonsense.
(in the plural) Courage.
(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A leather-covered cushion, fastened to a handle called a ballstock; formerly used by printers for inking the form, then superseded by the roller.
(farriery, historical) A large pill, a form in which medicine was given to horses; a bolus.
(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 presentballs, present participleballing, simple past and past participleballed)
(transitive) To form or wind into a ball.
Synonyms:roll up, wad
(metalworking) To heat in a furnace and form into balls for rolling.
(transitive, US, vulgar) To have sexual intercourse with.
Synonyms:see Thesaurus:copulate with
(transitive, intransitive) To gather balls which cling to the feet, as of damp snow or clay; to gather into balls.
(slang, usually in present participle) To be hip or cool.
(university slang) To reject from a fraternity or sorority. (Short for blackball.)
(nonstandard, slang) To play basketball.
(transitive) To punish by affixing a ball and chain.
(transitive) Of bees: to kill (a wasp) by surrounding it in large numbers so as to raise its body heat.
Translations
Interjection
ball
(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 Frenchbal, from Middle Frenchbaler(“to dance”), from Old Frenchballer, from Late Latinballō(“to dance”).
Noun
ball (pluralballs)
A formal dance.
(informal) A very enjoyable time.
Synonyms:blast, whale of a time
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 Frenchbal(“a dance”).
Pronunciation
IPA(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencian)[ˈbaʎ]
Rhymes: -aʎ
Noun
ballm (pluralballs)
dance
ball, formal dance
Synonyms
dansa
Derived terms
ball de bastons
Related terms
ballar
Crimean Tatar
Etymology
Borrowed from Frenchballe(“ball”).
Noun
ball
estimation, score
Declension
References
Mirjejev, V. A., Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajinsʹko-krymsʹkotatarsʹkyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary][10], Simferopol: Dolya, →ISBN
From Old Irishball, from Proto-Celtic*ballos, from Proto-Indo-European*bʰel-(“to blow, swell, inflate”); compare Englishball, Greek φαλλός(phallós, “penis”).
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
part, portion
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 Irishballm(“limb, member, organ; member of community; part, portion, piece; article, object; place, spot; passage (of a book); spot, mark, blemish”) (compare Irishball), from Proto-Celtic*ballos, from Proto-Indo-European*bʰel-(“to blow, swell, inflate”) (compare Englishball, Ancient Greekφαλλός(phallós, “penis”)).
Noun
ballm (genitive singularbuill, pluralbuill)
member (of a group)
article, item
(anatomy) organ; limb
Derived terms
Ball Pàrlamaid, BP(“Member of Parliament, MP”)
ballrachd(“membership”)
BPA
Etymology 2
From Middle Englishbal and/or Old Norsebǫllr(“a ball”), both from Proto-Germanic*balluz, *ballô(“ball”), from Proto-Indo-European*bʰel-(“to blow, inflate, swell”).
Noun
ballm (genitive singularbuill, pluralbuill)
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
(slang) cool, hip, fun, entertaining
Synonym:cool
Declension
Yola
Etymology
From Middle Englishbal, from Old English*beall.
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /baɫ/
Noun
ball
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