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avalanche

   Also found in: Medical, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.04 sec.
av·a·lanche  (v-lnch)
n.
1. A fall or slide of a large mass, as of snow or rock, down a mountainside.
2. A massive or overwhelming amount; a flood: received an avalanche of mail.
v. av·a·lanched, av·a·lanch·ing, av·a·lanch·es
v.intr.
To fall or slide in a massive or overwhelming amount.
v.tr.
To overwhelm; inundate.

[French; akin to Provençal lavanca, ravine, perhaps ultimately from Latin lb, to slip.]

avalanche
Noun
1. a fall of large masses of snow and ice down a mountain
2. a sudden or overwhelming quantity of anything [French]

avalanche  (v-lnch)
1. The sudden fall or slide of a large mass of material down the side of a mountain. Avalanches may contain snow, ice, rock, soil, or a mixture of these materials. Avalanches can be triggered by changes in temperature, by sound vibrations, or by vibrations in the earth itself.
2. A process resulting in the production of large numbers of ionized particles, in which electrons or ions collide with molecules, with each collision itself producing an additional electron or ion that in turn collides with other molecules. Avalanches are what generate the pulses of electric current that are registered by Geiger counters.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.avalancheavalanche - a slide of large masses of snow and ice and mud down a mountain
slide - (geology) the descent of a large mass of earth or rocks or snow etc.
lahar - an avalanche of volcanic water and mud down the slopes of a volcano
2.avalanche - a sudden appearance of an overwhelming number of things; "the program brought an avalanche of mail"
happening, natural event, occurrence, occurrent - an event that happens
Verb1.avalanche - gather into a huge mass and roll down a mountain, of snow
come down, descend, go down, fall - move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way; "The temperature is going down"; "The barometer is falling"; "The curtain fell on the diva"; "Her hand went up and then fell again"

avalanche
noun 1. snow-slide, landslide, landslip, snow-slip
noun 2. large amount, barrage, torrent, deluge, inundation
Translations
avalanche [ˈævəlɑːnʃ] nalud m; avalancha

avalanche [ˈævəlɑːnʃ] navalanche f

avalanche [ˈævəlɑːnʃ] n (also fig) → Lawine f

avalanche [ˈævəlɑːnʃ] nvalanga

avalanche
n avalanche [ˈӕvəlaːnʃ]
a fall of snow and ice down a mountain Two skiers were buried by the avalanche. sneeustorting إنْهِيار ثَلْجي лавина lavina lavine; sneskred die Lawine χιονοστιβάδα avalancha lumelaviin بهمن lumivyöry avalanche מַפּוֹלֶת שְׁלָגִים हिमस्खलन lavina lavina salju longsor snjóflóð valanga なだれ (눈·얼음 등의) 사태 lavina, griūtis lavīna runtuhan lawine snøskred lawina avalanche avalanşă снежный обвал, лавина lavína plaz lavina lavin หิมะถล่ม çığ 雪崩 сніговий обвал, лавина برفانی تودہ کا گرنا ،حادثہ tuyết lở


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Had they remained within they would have been safe, for a ledge above the house parted the avalanche so that it was diverted into two paths and swept past the house on either side.
It was necessary to let the French reach Shamshevo quietly without alarming them and then, after joining Dolokhov who was to come that evening to a consultation at a watchman's hut in the forest less than a mile from Shamshevo, to surprise the French at dawn, falling like an avalanche on their heads from two sides, and rout and capture them all at one blow.
But at this moment his eyes closed involuntarily, to receive more resolutely the terrible avalanche which was about to fall on his head, and to engulf his life.
 
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