AVALANCHE


Meaning of AVALANCHE in English

/ ˈævəlɑːnʃ; NAmE ˈævəlæntʃ/ ( NAmE also snow·slide ) noun

a mass of snow, ice and rock that falls down the side of a mountain :

alpine villages destroyed in an avalanche

( figurative )

We received an avalanche of letters in reply to our advertisement.

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WORD ORIGIN

late 18th cent.: from French , alteration of the Alpine dialect word lavanche (of unknown origin), influenced by avaler descend; compare with Italian valanga .

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.