avalanche

noun ah-vah-LAHNSH Rare

Also means

flood, torrent (figurative)

Usage Note

Avalanche is feminine and used both literally for a snow slide in the mountains and figuratively for an overwhelming quantity — une avalanche de messages ('a flood of messages'). The verb déclencher une avalanche ('to trigger an avalanche') is common in both senses. The word entered English directly from French.

Examples

"Une avalanche a bloqué la route de montagne."

Natural Translation

An avalanche blocked the mountain road.

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