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Added 2 October 2026

ball

/bɔːl/ noun

In Latin: globus, pila Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about ball at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games.
the ball travelled 90 mph on his serve
A solid projectile that is shot by a musket.
they had to carry a ramrod as well as powder and ball
An object with a spherical shape.
a ball of fire

verb

Form into a ball by winding or rolling.
ball wool

Origin

From Middle English bal, ball, balle, from an unattested Old English *beall, *bealla (“round object, ball”), from Proto-Germanic *balluz, *ballô (“ball”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰol-n- (“ball, bubble”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to blow, inflate, swell”). Cognate with Old Saxon ball, Dutch bal, Old High German bal, ballo (German Ball (“ball”); Ballen (“bale”)). Related forms in Romance are borrowings from Germanic. See also balloon, bale.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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