balloon

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English [edit]

Colorful toy balloons.

Etymology [edit]

1570, "a game played with a large, inflated leather ball" (possibly via Middle French ballon) from Italian pallone "large ball" from palla "ball", from Lombardic palla "ball" from Proto-Germanic *ballô (ball), from Proto-Indo-European *bholn- (bubble), from Proto-Indo-European *bhel- (to blow, swell, inflate). Akin to Old High German ballo, bal "ball" (German Ballen "bale"; Ball "ball"). More at ball.

Pronunciation [edit]

Noun [edit]

Wikipedia has an article on:

Wikipedia balloon (plural balloons)

  1. An inflatable buoyant object, often (but not necessarily) round and flexible.
  2. Such an object as a child’s toy.
  3. Such an object designed to transport people through the air.
  4. (medicine) A sac inserted into part of the body for therapeutic reasons; such as angioplasty.
  5. A speech bubble.
  6. A type of glass cup, sometimes used for brandy.

Synonyms [edit]

Derived terms [edit]

Translations [edit]

Verb [edit]

balloon (third-person singular simple present balloons, present participle ballooning, simple past and past participle ballooned)

  1. (intransitive) To increase or expand rapidly.
    His stomach ballooned from eating such a large meal.
    Prices will balloon if we don't act quickly.
  2. (intransitive) To go up or voyage in a balloon.
  3. (transitive) To take up in, or as if in, a balloon.

Translations [edit]

See also [edit]