volée

flock, flight (of birds); volley

noun voh-LAY Rare

Origin: From voler (to fly)

Also means

flight of stairs (set of steps)

Usage Note

Volée has several distinct uses: a volée d'oiseaux is a flock in flight, a volée de coups is a volley of blows, and une volée d'escalier means a flight of stairs between two landings. In tennis, une volée is a volley shot. The phrase à la volée means 'on the fly' or 'in passing'.

Examples

"Une volée de moineaux traversa le ciel."

Natural Translation

A flock of sparrows crossed the sky.

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