balloon
Meaning
A small, thin rubber bag that you blow air into or fill with a light gas until it is round in shape, often used as a toy or for decoration.
A large, strong bag filled with hot air or gas that can carry people in a basket hanging underneath it.
To suddenly become larger in size.
To go somewhere in a hot-air balloon.
Structure
Usage
The children each held a brightly colored balloon.
They crossed the English Channel in a hot-air balloon.
The company's debts continued to balloon during the recession.
Etymology
The word 'balloon' entered English in the late 16th century from French 'ballon' or Italian 'ballone', meaning 'large ball'. Its core morpheme, 'ball', traces back to a Germanic root signifying a round object or sphere. The augmentative suffix '-oon' (from Latin '-onem') was added to indicate something large, literally creating the sense of a 'large ball'. This etymology perfectly captures the object's defining characteristic: its spherical, inflated shape, whether referring to a child's toy or a vehicle for flight. The verb senses, meaning to swell or travel by balloon, naturally extended from this core concept of expansion and buoyancy.
Analysis
- ball: From Italian 'balla' (bundle) or Northern Italian 'ballone' (large ball), ultimately from a Germanic source related to 'ball'. It denotes a round object or sphere. - oon: A suffix of French origin (from Latin '-onem'), often used to form nouns with an augmentative sense, meaning 'large' or 'big'.