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| av·a·lanche [ ávvə lànch ] |
noun (plural av·a·lanch·es) |
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| Definition: |
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1. downhill fall of snow: a rapid downhill flow of a large mass of something dislodged from a mountainside or the top of a precipice, especially snow or ice
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2. overwhelming quantity: a sudden overwhelming quantity of something
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3. physics increase in number of ions: an increase in the number of ions or electrons, usually within a medium exposed to an applied electromagnetic field, caused by collisions of the ions or electrons with the medium
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verb (past and past participle av·a·lanched, present participle av·a·lanch·ing, 3rd person present singular av·a·lanch·es) |
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| Definition: |
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1. transitive and intransitive verb flow down in large quantity: to descend in a large mass on somebody or something
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2. transitive verb inundate somebody or something: to overwhelm somebody or something by arriving in large numbers or quantities
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| [Late 18th century. Via French< Romansh avalantze] |
