From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Avalanche \Av"a*lanche'\ (?; 277), noun [F. avalanche, fr. avaler to descend, to let down, from aval down, downward; ? (L. ad) + val, L. vallis, valley. See {Valley}.]
1. A large mass or body of snow and ice sliding swiftly down a mountain side, or falling down a precipice.
2. A fall of earth, rocks, etc., similar to that of an avalanche of snow or ice.
3. A sudden, great, or irresistible descent or influx of anything.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
noun
1: a slide of large masses of snow and ice and mud down a mountain
2: a sudden appearance of an overwhelming number of things; "the program brought an avalanche of mail"
verb
1: of snow masses in the mountains [syn: {roll down}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
141 Moby Thesaurus words for "avalanche": abundance, affluence, ample sufficiency, ampleness, amplitude, blizzard, bonanza, bountifulness, bountiousness, bumper crop, coast, copiousness, crystal, deluge, driven snow, embarras de richesses, enough, extravagance, extravagancy, exuberance, fertility, flake, flood, flow, flurry, foison, full measure, fullness, generosity, generousness, glide, glissade, glissando, granular snow, great abundance, great plenty, gush, igloo, inundation, landslide, landslip, lavishness, liberality, liberalness, lots, luxuriance, mantle of snow, maximum, mogul, money to burn, more than enough, much, myriad, myriads, numerousness, opulence, opulency, outpouring, overabundance, overaccumulation, overbounteousness, overcopiousness, overdose, overflow, overlavishness, overluxuriance, overmeasure, overmuchness, overnumerousness, overplentifulness, overplenty, overpopulation, overprofusion, oversufficiency, oversupply, plenitude, plenteousness, plentifulness, plenty, plethora, prevalence, prodigality, productiveness, profuseness, profusion, quantities, redundancy, repleteness, repletion, rich harvest, rich vein, richness, riot, riotousness, scads, shower, sideslip, skid, slide, slip, slippage, slither, slosh, slush, snow, snow banner, snow bed, snow blanket, snow blast, snow fence, snow flurry, snow roller, snow slush, snow squall, snow wreath, snow-crystal, snowball, snowbank, snowbridge, snowcap, snowdrift, snowfall, snowfield, snowflake, snowland, snowman, snowscape, snowshed, snowslide, snowslip, snowstorm, spate, stream, subsidence, substantiality, substantialness, superabundance, superflux, teemingness, wealth, wet snow
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