avalanche

[av-uh-lanch, -lahnch] /ˈæv əˌlæntʃ, -ˌlɑntʃ/

noun

a large mass of snow, ice, etc., detached from a mountain slope and sliding or falling suddenly downward.

anything like an avalanche in suddenness and overwhelming quantity:

an avalanche of misfortunes; an avalanche of fan mail.

Also called Townsend avalanche. Physics, Chemistry. a cumulative ionization process in which the ions and electrons of one generation undergo collisions that produce a greater number of ions and electrons in succeeding generations.

verb (used without object), avalanched, avalanching.

to come down in, or like, an avalanche.

verb (used with object), avalanched, avalanching.

to overwhelm with an extremely large amount of anything; swamp.

Origin

1755-65; < French < dial. (Savoy) avalantse, alteration (by association with avaler to descend rapidly) of laventse < pre-Latin (perhaps Ligurian) *lavanca, or reshaping of Late Latin labīna landslide (derivative of Latin labī to slide) with a pre-Latin suffix -anca

Can be confused

avalanche, landslide.

Examples from the web for avalanche

avalanche rescue beacons have become standard equipment for many skiers and snowmobilers who go into wilderness areas.
He also thought the paper would provoke some reaction, though the avalanche of interest has overwhelmed him.
To set off an electronic avalanche is relatively easy.
Before the unprepared system monitors could react, an avalanche was in motion.
In doing so, they triggered an avalanche of news-media coverage and a fierce backlash.
Create an avalanche from the safety of your computer.
These electrons collide with molecules and free other electrons creating an electron avalanche.
But not before the avalanche of other evidence of the public's declining confidence in higher education.
His calls for reform in the way political life is conducted are crushed in an avalanche of insults.
Create your own avalanche from the safety of your computer.

British Dictionary definitions for avalanche

avalanche

/ˈævəˌlɑːntʃ/

noun

a fall of large masses of snow and ice down a mountain
a fall of rocks, sand, etc

a sudden or overwhelming appearance of a large quantity of things: an avalanche of letters

(physics) a group of ions or electrons produced by a single ion or electron as a result of a collision with some other form of matter

verb

to come down overwhelmingly (upon)

Word Origin

C18: from French, by mistaken division from la valanche, from valanche, from (northwestern Alps) dialect lavantse; related to Old Provençal lavanca, of obscure origin

Word Origin and History for avalanche

1763, from French avalanche (17c.), from Romansch (Swiss) avalantze "descent," altered (by metathesis of -l- and -v-, probably influenced by Old French avaler "to descend, go down") from Savoy dialect lavantse, from Provençal lavanca "avalanche," perhaps from a pre-Latin Alpine language (the suffix -anca suggests Ligurian). As a verb, from 1872.

avalanche in Science

avalanche

(āv'ə-lānch')

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.
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.