avalanche
UK[ˈævəlɑːnʃ]US[ˈævəlæntʃ]
n
a large mass of snow, ice, and rocks that falls down the side of a mountain.
n
a sudden arrival or occurrence of something in overwhelming quantities.
Etymology
the word 'avalanche' entered english in the 18th century, borrowed from the french 'avalanche'. the french term itself is derived from the alpine franco-provençal word 'lavantse', which is a blend of the preposition 'à' (to, toward) and 'valantse', meaning 'descent'. this 'valantse' originates from the vulgar latin verb 'labānāre', a frequentative form of the latin 'lābī', meaning 'to slide' or 'to fall'. the semantic journey is direct, moving from the general concept of a sliding or falling motion to the specific, powerful phenomenon of a mass of snow and debris sliding down a mountainside. the modern figurative sense of an overwhelming onrush of anything follows logically from this powerful, unstoppable natural force.
Analysis
the word is a loanword from french and is not productively formed from morphemes within modern english spelling. it is treated as a simplex word.
Examples
the skiers were warned about the high risk of avalanche.
the company was buried under an avalanche of customer complaints.
the recent avalanche of data has challenged researchers.