different between ball vs drop

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: bôl, IPA^(key): /b??l/
• (Canada, cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /b?l/
• Rhymes: -??l
• Homophone: bawl

Etymology 1

From Middle English bal, ball, balle, from Old English *beall, *bealla (“round object, ball”) or Old Norse b?llr (“a ball”), both from Proto-Germanic *balluz, *ballô (“ball”), from Proto-Indo-European *b?oln- (“bubble”), from Proto-Indo-European *b?el- (“to blow, inflate, swell”). Cognate with Old Saxon ball, Dutch bal, Old High German bal, ballo (German Ball (“ball”); Ballen (“bale”)). Related forms in Romance are borrowings from Germanic. See also balloon, bale.

Noun

ball (countable and uncountable, plural balls)

1. A solid or hollow sphere, or roughly spherical mass.
   1. A quantity of string, thread, etc., wound into a spherical shape.

   2. (ballistics, firearms) A solid, spherical nonexplosive missile for a cannon, rifle, gun, etc.
      1. A jacketed non-expanding bullet, typically of military origin.
      2. (uncountable, obsolete) Such bullets collectively.
         • 1659, Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Anglesey, England’s Confusion, London, p. 7,^[1]

           […] the Good Old Cause, which, as they seemed to represent it, smelt of Gunpowder and ball […]

         • 1719, Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe, London: W. Taylor, p. 294,^[2]

           I gave each of them a Musket with a Firelock on it, and about eight Charges of Powder and Ball, charging them to be very good Husbands of both, and not to use either of them but upon urgent Occasion.

         • 1803, Robert Charles Dallas, The History of the Maroons, London: Longman and Rees, Volume 1, Letter 5, p. 148,^[3]

           […] some headstrong Maroons were using a soldier of Captain Craskell’s ill, and compelling him to write to his commander, that it was too late to do any thing good, and that they wanted nothing, having got plenty of powder and ball […]
   3. A roundish protuberant portion of some part of the body.

   4. (anatomy) The front of the bottom of the foot, just behind the toes.
   5. The globe; the earthly sphere.
      • c. 1712', Joseph Addison, Ode to the Creator of the World

        What, though in solemn Silence, all
        Move round the dark terrestrial Ball!

      • 1717, Alexander Pope, "Elegy to the Memory of an Unfortunate Lady"

        Thus, if eternal Justice rules the ball, / Thus shall your wives, and thus your children fall;

   6. (mathematics) The set of points in a metric space lying within a given distance (the radius) of a given point; specifically, the homologue of the disk in a Euclidean space of any number of dimensions.
   7. (mathematics, more generally) The set of points in a topological space lying within some open set containing a given point; the analogue of the disk in a Euclidean space.
   8. An object, generally spherical, used for playing games in which it may be thrown, caught, kicked, etc.
2. (sports) A round or ellipsoidal object.
   1. Any sport or game involving a ball.

   3. (baseball) A pitch that falls outside of the strike zone.
   4. (pinball) An opportunity to launch the pinball into play.

   5. (cricket) A single delivery by the bowler, six of which make up an over.
   6. (soccer) A pass; a kick of the football towards a teammate.
3. (mildly vulgar, slang, usually in the plural) A testicle.
   1. (in the plural) Nonsense.

   2. (in the plural) Courage.

4. (printing, historical) A leather-covered cushion, fastened to a handle called a ballstock; formerly used by printers for inking the form, then superseded by the roller.
5. (farriery, historical) A large pill, a form in which medicine was given to horses; a bolus.
   • 1842, James White, A compendium of the veterinary art

     The laxative alterative has not this advantage, the aloes, of which it is composed, being extremely bitter, and therefore requiring to be given in the form of a ball.

Synonyms

• sphere
• globe
• (testicle): See Thesaurus:testicle
• (nonsense): See Thesaurus:nonsense
• (courage): chutzpah, guts, nerve

Derived terms

(solid or hollow sphere):

(testicle):

Translations

Verb

ball (third-person singular simple present balls, present participle balling, simple past and past participle balled)

1. (transitive) To form or wind into a ball.

   Synonyms: roll up, wad

2. (metalworking) To heat in a furnace and form into balls for rolling.
3. (transitive, vulgar) To have sexual intercourse with.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:copulate with
4. (transitive, intransitive) To gather balls which cling to the feet, as of damp snow or clay; to gather into balls.

5. (slang, usually in present participle) To be hip or cool.
6. (nonstandard, slang) To play basketball.
7. (transitive) To punish by affixing a ball and chain
   • 1865, Camp Sumpter, Andersonville National Historic Site, Rules and Regulations of the Prison

     any man refusing to do police duty will be punished by the sergts by balling him the rest of the day.

Translations

Interjection

ball

1. (Australian rules football) An appeal by the crowd for holding the ball against a tackled player. This is heard almost any time an opposition player is tackled, without regard to whether the rules about "prior opportunity" to dispose of the ball are fulfilled.

Etymology 2

From French bal, from Late Latin ball?.

Noun

ball (plural balls)

1. A formal dance.
2. (informal) A very enjoyable time.

   Synonyms: blast, whale of a time

3. A competitive event among young African-American and Latin American LGBTQ+ people in which prizes are awarded for drag and similar performances. See ball culture.

Derived terms

Related terms

• ballad
• ballade

Translations

Catalan

Etymology

From French bal (“a dance”)

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central, Valencian) IPA^(key): /?ba?/
• Rhymes: -a?

Noun

ball m (plural balls)

1. dance
2. ball, formal dance

Synonyms

• dansa

Derived terms

• ball de bastons

Related terms

• ballar

Crimean Tatar

Etymology

Borrowed from French balle (“ball”).

Noun

ball

1. estimation, score

Declension

References

• Mirjejev, V. A.; Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajins?ko-kryms?kotatars?kyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary]?^[5], Simferopol: Dolya, ?ISBN

Icelandic

Etymology

From French bal (“a dance”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pal?/
• Rhymes: -al?

Noun

ball n (genitive singular balls, nominative plural böll)

1. dance

Declension

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish ball, from Proto-Celtic *ballos, from Proto-Indo-European *b?el- (“to blow, swell, inflate”); compare English ball, Greek ?????? (phallós, “penis”).

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /b??ul??/
• (Galway) IPA^(key): /b???l??/
• (Mayo) IPA^(key): /b?al??/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /b?al??/

Noun

ball m (genitive singular baill, nominative plural baill)

1. (anatomy) organ
2. component part
3. member
4. article
5. spot, place
6. spot, mark
7. (sets) element, member

Declension

Derived terms

Mutation

References

• "ball" in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.
• Gregory Toner, Maire Ní Mhaonaigh, Sharon Arbuthnot, Dagmar Wodtko, Maire-Luise Theuerkauf, editors (2019) , “ball”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English *beall.

Noun

ball

1. Alternative form of bal

Etymology 2

Probably from Old French bale.

Noun

ball

1. Alternative form of bale (“bale”)

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From Old Norse b?llr.

Noun

ball m (definite singular ballen, indefinite plural baller, definite plural ballene)

1. ball (solid or hollow sphere)
2. ball (object, usually spherical, used for playing games)

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Borrowed from French bal.

Noun

ball n (definite singular ballet, indefinite plural ball or baller, definite plural balla or ballene)

1. ball (formal social occasion involving dancing)

Derived terms

• ballkjole
• ballsal

References

• “ball” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From Old Norse b?llr.

Noun

ball m (definite singular ballen, indefinite plural ballar, definite plural ballane)

1. a ball (solid or hollow sphere)
2. a ball (object, usually spherical, used for playing games)

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Borrowed from French bal.

Noun

ball n (definite singular ballet, indefinite plural ball, definite plural balla)

1. ball (formal social occasion involving dancing)

Derived terms

• ballkjole
• ballsal

References

• “ball” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *ballos.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bal?/

Noun

ball m

1. a body part
2. member of a group
3. part, portion
4. a colored spot

Declension

Descendants

• Irish: ball
• Scottish Gaelic: ball

Mutation

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Maire Ní Mhaonaigh, Sharon Arbuthnot, Dagmar Wodtko, Maire-Luise Theuerkauf, editors (2019) , “ball”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish ball m (“limb, member, organ; member of community; part, portion, piece; article, object; place, spot; passage (of a book); spot, mark, blemish”) (compare Irish ball), from Proto-Celtic *ballo-, from Proto-Indo-European *bhel- (“to blow, swell, inflate”) (compare English ball, Ancient Greek ?????? (phallós, “penis”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /paul??/

Noun

ball m (genitive singular buill, plural buill)

1. ball
2. member (of a group)
3. article, item
4. (anatomy) organ; limb

Derived terms

• ball-coise (“football, soccer”)
• ball-basgaid (“basketball”)
• ball-beusa (“baseball”)
• ball-stèidhe (“baseball”)
• ball-bholaidh (“volleyball”)
• ball-goilf (“golf ball”)
• Ball Pàrlamaid, BP (“Member of Parliament, MP”)
• ballrachd (“membership”)
• BPA

Mutation

References

• “ball” in Edward Dwelly, Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan/The Illustrated [Scottish] Gaelic–English Dictionary, 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, 1911, ?ISBN.
• Gregory Toner, Maire Ní Mhaonaigh, Sharon Arbuthnot, Dagmar Wodtko, Maire-Luise Theuerkauf, editors (2019) , “ball”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Swedish

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?bal?/

Adjective

ball

1. (slang) cool, hip, fun, entertaining

   Synonym: cool

Declension

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: dr?p, IPA^(key): /d??p/
• (General American) enPR: dr?p, IPA^(key): /d??p/, [d????p]
• Rhymes: -?p

Etymology 1

From Late Middle English droppe, Middle English drope (“small quantity of liquid; small or least amount of something; pendant jewel; dripping of a liquid; a shower; nasal flow, catarrh; speck, spot; blemish; disease causing spots on the skin”) [and other forms], from Old English dropa (“a drop”), from Proto-West Germanic *drop? (“drop (of liquid)”), from Proto-Germanic *drupô (“drop (of liquid)”), from Proto-Indo-European *d?rewb- (“to crumble, grind”).

Noun

drop (plural drops)

1. (also figuratively) A small quantity of liquid, just large enough to hold its own round shape through surface tension, especially one that falls from a source of liquid.
   1. (pharmacology) A dose of liquid medicine in the form of a drop (sense 1).
   2. (pharmacology, chiefly in the plural) A liquid medicine that is intended to be administered in drops (sense 1).

2. (figuratively) A very small quantity of liquid, or (by extension) of anything.
   1. (chiefly Australia, Britain) A small amount of an alcoholic beverage.

   2. (chiefly Britain) Usually preceded by the: alcoholic spirits in general.
   3. (Ireland, informal) A single measure of whisky.
3. That which hangs or resembles a liquid globule, such as a hanging diamond earring or ornament, a glass pendant on a chandelier, etc.
   1. Often preceded by a defining word: a small, round piece of hard candy, such as a lemon drop; a lozenge.
   2. (architecture) An ornament resembling a pendant; a gutta.
4. A thing which drops or hangs down.
   1. The cover mounted on a swivel over a keyhole that rests over the keyhole when not in use to keep out debris, but is swiveled out of the way before inserting the key.
   2. (agriculture) A fruit which has fallen off a tree, etc., or has been knocked off accidentally, rather than picked.
   3. (American football) A dropped pass.

   4. (law enforcement) A trapdoor (“hinged platform”) on a gallows; a gallows itself.
   5. (online gaming, video games) An item made available for the player to pick up from the remains of a defeated enemy.
   6. (technology)
      1. A mechanism for lowering something, such as a machine for lowering heavy weights on to a ship's deck, or a device for temporarily lowering a gas jet, etc.
      2. Short for drop hammer and drop press.
   7. (theater) A curtain which falls in front of a theatrical stage; also, a section of (cloth) scenery lowered on to the stage like a curtain.
5. An act or instance of dropping (in all senses).
   1. An act of moving downwards under the force of gravity; a descent, a fall.
   2. An instance of making a delivery of people, supplies, or things, especially by parachute out of an aircraft (an airdrop), but also by truck, etc.

   3. A release (of music, a video game, etc).
   4. (gambling) The amount of money that a gambler exchanges for chips in a casino.
   5. (law enforcement, informal) Preceded by the: execution by hanging.
   6. (sports)
      1. Usually preceded by the: relegation from one division to a lower one.
      2. (American football) Short for drop-back.

      3. (pinball) Short for drop target.
      4. (rugby) Short for drop kick.
   7. (US, banking, dated) An unsolicited credit card issue.
6. A decline in degree, quality, quantity, or rate.
   1. (sewing)
      1. Of men's clothes: the difference between the chest circumference and waist circumference.
      2. Of women's clothes: the difference between the bust circumference and hip circumference.
7. The distance through which something drops, or falls below a certain level.
   1. The distance below a cliff or other high position through which someone or something could fall; hence, a steep slope.
   2. The vertical length of a hanging curtain.
   3. (engineering) The distance of the axis of a shaft below the base of a hanger.
   4. (law enforcement) The distance that a person drops when being executed by hanging.
   5. (nautical) The depth of a (square) sail (generally applied to the courses only); the vertical dimension of a sail.

      (Can we find and add a quotation of Ham. Nav. Encyc to this entry?)

8. A place where items or supplies may be left for others to collect, whether openly (as with a mail drop), or secretly or illegally (as in crime or espionage); a drop-off point.

9. Only used in get the drop on and have the drop on: an advantage.
10. (music) A point in a song, usually electronic music such as dubstep, house, trace, or trap, where there is a very noticeable and pleasing change in bass, tempo, and/or overall tone; a climax, a highlight.

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English droppen, dropen (“to fall in drops, drip or trickle down; to scatter, sprinkle; to be covered with a liquid; to give off moisture; of an object: to drop, fall; of a living being: to fall to the ground”) [and other forms], from Old English dropian, droppian (“to drop”), from dropa (“a drop”) (see further at etymology 1) + -ian (suffix forming verbs from adjectives and nouns).

Verb

drop (third-person singular simple present drops, present participle dropping, simple past and past participle dropped or (archaic) dropt)

1. (intransitive) Of a liquid: to fall in drops or droplets. [from 11th c.]
2. (intransitive, also figuratively) To fall (straight down) under the influence of gravity, like a drop of liquid. [from 14th c.]

3. (intransitive) To fall or sink quickly or suddenly to the ground. [from 15th c.]

4. (intransitive) To collapse in exhaustion or injury; also, to fall dead, or to fall in death.
5. (intransitive) To fall into a particular condition or state.
6. (intransitive) To come to an end (by not being kept up); to lapse, to stop. [from 17th c.]
7. (intransitive) To decrease, diminish, or lessen in condition, degree, value, etc. [from 18th c.]
   1. (intransitive) Of a song or sound: to lower in key, pitch, tempo, or other quality.

   2. (intransitive) Of a voice: to lower in timbre, often due to puberty.
8. (intransitive) To fall behind or to the rear of a group of people, etc., as a result of not keeping up with those at the front.
9. (intransitive) Usually followed by by, in, or into: of a person: to visit someone or somewhere informally or without a prior appointment.
10. (intransitive, computing, music, television, colloquial) Of a programme, software, a music album or song, etc.: to enter public distribution.

11. (intransitive, gambling) To drop out of the betting.
    • 1990, Stewart Wolpin, The Rules of Neighborhood Poker According to Hoyle (page 219)

      But more important, if I dropped, Marty would have won the hand automatically.

12. (intransitive, physiology, informal) Of the testicles: to hang further away from the body and begin producing sperm due to puberty.
13. (intransitive, obsolete) To let drops fall; to discharge itself in drops.
    • 1611 King James Bible, Psalms 68:8

      The heavens […] dropped at the presence of God.

14. (transitive) To drip (a liquid) in drops or small amounts. [from 14th c.]
    • 1759-1767, Laurence Sterne, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy

      The recording angel, as he wrote it down, dropped a tear upon the word and blotted it out forever.

    • 1860, Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

      persons, dropping sweat-drops or blood-drops

15. (transitive, ergative, also figuratively) To let (something) fall; to allow (something) to fall (either by releasing hold of, or losing one's grip on). [from 14th c.]

16. (transitive) To move to a lower position; to allow to hang downwards; to lower.
    1. To quickly lower or take down (one's trousers), especially in public.
    2. (cooking) To cook (food, especially fast food), particularly by lowering into hot oil to deep-fry, or by grilling.

17. (transitive) Of an animal (usually a sheep): to give birth to (young); of a bird: to lay (an egg).

18. (transitive) To mention (something) casually or incidentally, usually in conversation. [from 17th c.]

19. (transitive) To let (a letter, etc.) fall into a postbox; hence, to send (a letter, email, or other message) in an offhand manner. [from 18th c.]

20. (transitive) To make (someone or something) fall to the ground from a blow, gunshot, etc.; to bring down, to shoot down. [from 18th c.]
    • 1846, ed. by G. W. Nickisson, “Elephant-Shooting in Ceylon”, in Fraser's Magazine, vol. XXXIII, no. CXCVII

      page 562: ...if the first shot does not drop him, and he rushes on, the second will be a very hurried and most likely ineffectual one...

      page 568 ...with a single shot he dropped him like a master of the art.

    • 1892, Alexander A. A. Kinloch, Large Game Shooting in Thibet, the Himalayas, Northern and Central India, page 126

      As with all other animals, a shot behind the shoulder is the most likely to drop the beast on the spot […]

    • 1921, Daniel Henderson, Boone of the Wilderness, page 54

      He dropped the beast with a bullet in its heart.

    • 1985, Beastie Boys, Paul Revere:

      The piano player's out, the music stopped / His boy had beef, and he got dropped...

    • 1992, Dan Parkinson, Dust on the Wind, page 164

      With a quick clench of the fist on Joey's throat, Bodie dropped him. The man crumpled to the ground […]

21. (transitive) To set down (someone or something) from a vehicle; to stop and deliver or deposit (someone or something); to drop off.

22. (transitive) To lower (a sound, a voice, etc.) in pitch or volume.
    1. (transitive, music) To tune (a guitar string, etc.) to a lower note.
23. (transitive) To cease concerning oneself over (someone or something); to have nothing more to do with (a discussion, subject, etc.). [from 17th c.]
    • 1815, Sir Walter Scott, Guy Mannering; Or, The Astrologer

      The connection had been dropped many years.

    • 1859, William Makepeace Thackeray, The Virginians: A Tale of the Last Century

      that astonishing ease with which fine ladies drop you and pick you up again

24. (transitive) To dispose or get rid of (something); to lose, to remove.

25. (transitive) To cease to include (something), as if on a list; to dismiss, to eject, to expel.
    • 2019, Louise Taylor, Alex Morgan heads USA past England into Women’s World Cup final (in The Guardian, 2 July 2019)[6]

      If Carly Telford’s replacement of Karen Bardsley, because of a hamstring injury, was enforced, the switch to 4-4-1-1 was not. This new-look configuration saw Rachel Daly deployed in front of Lucy Bronze down the right, Toni Duggan and Fran Kirby dropped, Beth Mead introduced on the left and Nikita Parris moved up front.

26. (transitive) To cancel or cease to participate in (a scheduled course, event, or project).

27. (transitive, slang)
    1. To lose, spend, or otherwise part with (money). [from 17th c.]
       • 1949, The Atlantian, v 8, Atlanta: United States Penitentiary, p 41:

         The question was: Who put the most in the collection box? The wealthy guy, who dropped a “C” note, or the tattered old dame who parted with her last tarnished penny.

       • 2000, Lisa Reardon, Blameless: A Novel, Random House, p 221:

         I forked over the $19.25. I was in no position to be dropping twenties like gumdrops but I deserved something good from this crappy morning.

    2. To pass or use (counterfeit cheques, money, etc.).
    3. To impart (something).

    4. Especially in drop acid: to swallow (a drug, particularly LSD). [from 20th c.]
28. (transitive, computing, music, television, colloquial) To release (a programme, software, a music album or song, etc.) to the public.

29. (transitive, linguistics) To fail to write, or (especially) to pronounce (a syllable, letter, etc.). [from 19th c.]

30. (transitive, music)
    1. To play (a portion of music) in the manner of a disc jockey.

    2. To perform (rap music).

31. (transitive, sports)
    1. (originally US) To (unexpectedly) lose (a competition, game, etc.).
    2. (cricket) Of a fielder: to fail to dismiss (a batsman) by accidentally dropping a batted ball that had initially been caught.

    3. (rugby) To score (a goal) by means of a drop kick.
32. (transitive, archaic) To cover (something) with or as if with drops, especially of a different colour; to bedrop, to variegate.
    • 1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost

      their waved coats dropped with gold

Conjugation

Derived terms

Translations

References

Further reading

• drop on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• Prod, Prod., dorp, prod

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /drop/
• Rhymes: -op
• Homophone: drob

Etymology 1

From Proto-Slavic *drop?ty, which is a compound, whose first part is probably from Proto-Indo-European *dreh?- (“run”) and the other from Proto-Slavic *p?ta (“bird”), which is probably based on Proto-Indo-European *put- (“a young, a child, a little animal”).

Noun

drop m

1. bustard

Declension

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English drop (“act of dropping”).

Noun

drop m

1. (golf) dropping a new ball from hand from shoulder height and arm's length, if the original ball was lost.

Declension

References

Further reading

• drop in P?íru?ní slovník jazyka ?eského, 1935–1957
• drop in Slovník spisovného jazyka ?eského, 1960–1971, 1989

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch drope (“drop”), from Old Dutch dropo, from Proto-Germanic *drupô. The sense “licorice” developed from the sense “drop of licorice extract”; compare also English lemon drop.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dr?p/
• Hyphenation: drop
• Rhymes: -?p

Noun

drop f (plural droppen, diminutive dropje n)

1. droplet

Synonyms

• drup
• druppel

Noun

drop f or n (uncountable, diminutive dropje n)

1. licorice, especially a variety sold as small sweets/candies.

Derived terms

• dropje
• droplul
• dropveter
• Engelse drop
• honingdrop
• salmiakdrop

Anagrams

• dorp

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English drop.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d??p/

Noun

drop m (plural drops)

1. (rugby) drop goal

Further reading

• “drop” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Polish

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *drop?ty, whose first part is probably from Proto-Indo-European *dreh?- (“run”) and the other from Proto-Slavic *p?ta (“bird”), which is probably based on Proto-Indo-European *put- (“a young, a child, a little animal”).

Compare Czech drop and Russian ????? (drofa). Cognate with German Trappe.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dr?p/

Noun

drop m anim

1. bustard; a bird belonging to the family Otididae, especially the great bustard (Otis tarda) or any member of the genus Ardeotis

Declension

Further reading

• drop in Wielki s?ownik j?zyka polskiego, Instytut J?zyka Polskiego PAN
• drop in Polish dictionaries at PWN

References