Wiktionary

ball

See also: bal, Ball, bál, bål, and Bäll

EnglishEdit

 
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PronunciationEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Middle English bal, ball, balle, from 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.

 
A basketball

NounEdit

ball (countable and uncountable, plural balls)

  1. A solid or hollow sphere, or roughly spherical mass.
    a ball of spittle; a fecal ball
    1. A quantity of string, thread, etc., wound into a spherical shape.
      a ball of wool; a ball of twine
    2. (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.
        • 1659, Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Anglesey, England’s Confusion, London, p. 7,[1]
          […] the Good Old Cause, which, as they seemed to represent it, smelt of Gunpowder and ball […]
        • 1719, Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe, London: W. Taylor, p. 294,[2]
          I gave each of them a Musket with a Firelock on it, and about eight Charges of Powder and Ball, charging them to be very good Husbands of both, and not to use either of them but upon urgent Occasion.
        • 1803, Robert Charles Dallas, The History of the Maroons, London: Longman and Rees, Volume 1, Letter 5, p. 148,[3]
          […] some headstrong Maroons were using a soldier of Captain Craskell’s ill, and compelling him to write to his commander, that it was too late to do any thing good, and that they wanted nothing, having got plenty of powder and ball […]
        • 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter 1, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, OCLC 57395299, page 1:
          This is my substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship.
    3. A roundish protuberant portion of some part of the body.
      the ball of the thumb; the ball of the foot
    4. (anatomy) The front of the bottom of the foot, just behind the toes.
    5. The globe; the earthly sphere.
    6. (mathematics) The set of points in a metric space lying within a given distance (the radius) of a given point; specifically, the homologue of the disk in a Euclidean space of any number of dimensions.
    7. (mathematics, more generally) The set of points in a topological space lying within some open set containing a given point; the analogue of the disk in a Euclidean space.
    8. An object, generally spherical, used for playing games in which it may be thrown, caught, kicked, etc.
      • 1922, Michael Arlen, “3/19/2”, in “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days:
        Ivor had acquired more than a mile of fishing rights with the house; he was not at all a good fisherman, but one must do something; one generally, however, banged a ball with a squash-racket against a wall.
      • 2011 October 2, Aled Williams, “Swansea 2-0 Stoke”, in BBC Sport Wales:
        Graham secured victory with five minutes left, coolly lifting the ball over Asmir Begovic.
  2. (sports) A round or ellipsoidal object.
    1. Any sport or game involving a ball.
      The children were playing ball on the beach.
      The children were playing ball in the garden.
      George played his college ball at Stanford.
    3. (baseball) A pitch that falls outside of the strike zone.
    4. (pinball) An opportunity to launch the pinball into play.
      If you get to a million points, you get another ball.
    5. (cricket) A single delivery by the bowler, six of which make up an over.
    6. (soccer) A pass; a kick of the football towards a teammate.
      • 2010 December 29, Chris Whyatt, “Chelsea 1-0 Bolton”, in BBC:
        After Essien's poor attempt flew into the stands, Rodrigo Moreno - Bolton's on-loan winger from Benfica who was making his full Premier League debut - nearly exposed the Blues with a lovely ball for Johan Elmander, but it just skipped away from his team-mate's toes.
  3. (mildly vulgar, slang, usually in the plural) A testicle.
    1. (in the plural) Nonsense.
      That’s a load of balls, and you know it!
    2. (in the plural) Courage.
      I doubt he’s got the balls to tell you off.
  4. (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.
  5. (farriery, historical) A large pill, a form in which medicine was given to horses; a bolus.
    • 1842, James White, A compendium of the veterinary art
      The laxative alterative has not this advantage, the aloes, of which it is composed, being extremely bitter, and therefore requiring to be given in the form of a ball.
SynonymsEdit
Derived termsEdit

(solid or hollow sphere):

(testicle):

TranslationsEdit
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

VerbEdit

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
    to ball cotton
  2. (metalworking) To heat in a furnace and form into balls for rolling.
  3. (transitive, vulgar) To have sexual intercourse with.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:copulate with
    • 1968, Joan Didion, “Slouching Towards Bethlehem”, in Slouching Towards Bethlehem:
      Max says it works both ways. “I mean if she comes in and tells me she wants to ball Don, maybe, I say ‘O.K., baby, it's your trip.’”
  4. (transitive, intransitive) To gather balls which cling to the feet, as of damp snow or clay; to gather into balls.
    the horse balls
    the snow balls
  5. (slang, usually in present participle) To be hip or cool.
  6. (nonstandard, slang) To play basketball.
  7. (transitive) To punish by affixing a ball and chain.
    • 1865, Camp Sumpter, Andersonville National Historic Site, Rules and Regulations of the Prison
      any man refusing to do police duty will be punished by the sergts by balling him the rest of the day.
TranslationsEdit

InterjectionEdit

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.
    • 2007, “Laws Of The Afl 2007”, in AFL Sydney Swans Rules Zone‎[4], archived from the original on March 22, 2008:
      A good tackle (and some bad ones) will bring a cry of "Ball!" from the crowd – a plea for a holding the ball free kick.

Etymology 2Edit

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

NounEdit

ball (plural balls)

  1. A formal dance.
  2. (informal) A very enjoyable time.
    Synonyms: blast, whale of a time
    I had a ball at that concert.
  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 termsEdit
Related termsEdit
TranslationsEdit

CatalanEdit

EtymologyEdit

From French bal (“a dance”)

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

ball m (plural balls)

  1. dance
  2. ball, formal dance

SynonymsEdit

Derived termsEdit

Related termsEdit

Crimean TatarEdit

EtymologyEdit

Borrowed from French balle (“ball”).

NounEdit

ball

  1. estimation, score

DeclensionEdit

Declension of ball
nominative ball
genitive ballnıñ
dative ballğa
accusative ballnı
locative ballda
ablative balldan

ReferencesEdit

  • Mirjejev, V. A.; Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajinsʹko-krymsʹkotatarsʹkyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary]‎[5], Simferopol: Dolya, →ISBN

IcelandicEdit

EtymologyEdit

From French bal (“a dance”)

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

ball n (genitive singular balls, nominative plural böll)

  1. dance

DeclensionEdit

declension of ball
n-s singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative ball ballið böll böllin
accusative ball ballið böll böllin
dative balli ballinu böllum böllunum
genitive balls ballsins balla ballanna

IrishEdit

EtymologyEdit

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

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

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

DeclensionEdit

Declension of ball

First declension

Bare forms:

Case Singular Plural
Nominative ball baill
Vocative a bhaill a bhalla
Genitive baill ball
Dative ball baill

Forms with the definite article:

Case Singular Plural
Nominative an ball na baill
Genitive an bhaill na mball
Dative leis an mball

don bhall

leis na baill

Derived termsEdit

MutationEdit

Irish mutation
Radical Lenition Eclipsis
ball bhall mball
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

ReferencesEdit

Middle EnglishEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Old English *beall.

NounEdit

ball

  1. Alternative form of bal

Etymology 2Edit

Probably from Old French bale.

NounEdit

ball

  1. Alternative form of bale (“bale”)

Norwegian BokmålEdit

 
Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia no

Etymology 1Edit

From Old Norse bǫllr.

NounEdit

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 termsEdit
Terms derived from ball (sphere)
 
Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia no

Etymology 2Edit

Borrowed from French bal.

NounEdit

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

  1. ball (formal social occasion involving dancing)
Derived termsEdit

ReferencesEdit

Norwegian NynorskEdit

 
Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nn

Etymology 1Edit

From Old Norse bǫllr.

NounEdit

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 termsEdit
Terms derived from ball (sphere)

Etymology 2Edit

Borrowed from French bal.

NounEdit

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

  1. ball (formal social occasion involving dancing)
Derived termsEdit

ReferencesEdit

Old IrishEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Celtic *ballos.

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

ball m

  1. a body part
  2. member of a group
  3. part, portion
  4. a colored spot

DeclensionEdit

Masculine o-stem
Singular Dual Plural
Nominative ball ballL baillL
Vocative baill ballL baulluH
Accusative ballN ballL baulluH
Genitive baillL ball ballN
Dative baullL ballaib ballaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective:
  • H = triggers aspiration
  • L = triggers lenition
  • N = triggers nasalization

DescendantsEdit

  • Irish: ball
  • Scottish Gaelic: ball

MutationEdit

Old Irish mutation
Radical Lenition Nasalization
baill baill
pronounced with /v(ʲ)-/ 		mbaill
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further readingEdit

Scottish GaelicEdit

PronunciationEdit

Etymology 1Edit

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”)).

NounEdit

ball m (genitive singular buill, plural buill)

  1. member (of a group)
  2. article, item
  3. (anatomy) organ; limb
Derived termsEdit

Etymology 2Edit

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”).

NounEdit

ball m (genitive singular buill, plural buill)

  1. ball
Derived termsEdit

MutationEdit

Scottish Gaelic mutation
Radical Lenition
ball bhall
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further readingEdit

  • “ball” in Edward Dwelly, Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan/The Illustrated [Scottish] Gaelic–English Dictionary, 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, 1911, →ISBN.
  • Gregory Toner, Maire Ní Mhaonaigh, Sharon Arbuthnot, Dagmar Wodtko, Maire-Luise Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “ball”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

SwedishEdit

EtymologyEdit

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

PronunciationEdit

AdjectiveEdit

ball

  1. (slang) cool, hip, fun, entertaining
    Det är ballt att åka skateboard.
    It’s cool to ride a skateboard.
    Synonym: cool

DeclensionEdit

Inflection of ball
Indefinite Positive Comparative Superlative2
Common singular ball ballare ballast
Neuter singular ballt ballare ballast
Plural balla ballare ballast
Masculine plural3 balle ballare ballast
Definite Positive Comparative Superlative
Masculine singular1 balle ballare ballaste
All balla ballare ballaste
1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.
2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
3) Dated or archaic
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