avalanche
Definitions
A mass of snow, ice, and rock sliding rapidly down a mountainside
雪崩
A sudden overwhelming arrival of a large quantity of something
（大量事物的）涌来；剧增
To descend or arrive suddenly in an overwhelming mass
（如雪崩般）崩落；涌来
Root Breakdown
LoanwordFrom French avalanche, probably from avaler ('to descend, go down'). Its link to lavāre is uncertain — it may have been reshaped by association with lavanche, a dialect word for a landslide. Treat the lav connection as unconfirmed.
Root lav still carries 19 more wordsWhy It Means This
Avalanche's etymology is debated. The most common account links it to French avaler ('to go down'), with the spelling possibly influenced by a dialect word lavanche. Its membership in the lav (wash) family is therefore not certain — included here with that caveat.
Common Collocations
- 1.snow avalanche雪崩
- 2.avalanche risk雪崩风险
- 3.an avalanche of大量的……
- 4.trigger an avalanche引发雪崩
Example Sentences
- 1.
Heavy snowfall raised the risk of an avalanche in the pass.
- 2.
The announcement triggered an avalanche of angry emails.