avalanche
noun
[ ˈavəlɑːnʃ ]
• a mass of snow, ice, and rocks falling rapidly down a mountainside.
• "he was swept to his death by an avalanche in 1988"
• a sudden arrival or occurrence of something in overwhelming quantities.
• "we have had an avalanche of applications for the post"
Similar:
barrage,
volley,
flood,
deluge,
torrent,
tide,
stream,
storm,
shower,
spate,
wave,
• a cumulative process in which a fast-moving ion or electron generates further ions and electrons by collision.
avalanche
verb
• (of a mass of snow, ice, etc.) descend rapidly down a mountainside.
• undergo a rapid increase in conductivity due to an avalanche process.
Origin:
late 18th century: from French, alteration of the Alpine dialect word lavanche (of unknown origin), influenced by avaler ‘descend’; compare with Italian valanga .
