balloon

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to become inflated

   The sails ballooned.

2. 2
   verb

   to ride in a hot-air balloon

   I tried to balloon around the earth but storms forced me to land after less than one hour.

3. 3
   noun

   Such an object designed to transport people or equipment through the air.

   We immediately threw out all the little things we had with us, ſuch as biſcuits, apples, &c. and after that one of our oars or wings; but ſtill deſcending, we caſt away the other wing, and then the governail ; having likewiſe had the precaution, for fear of accidents, while the Balloon was filling, partly to looſen and make it go eaſy, I now ſucceeded in attempting to reach without the Car, and unſcrewing the moulinet, with all its apparatus; I likewiſe caſt that into the ſea.

4. 4
   noun

   A ball or globe on the top of a pillar, church, etc.

   the balloon of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London

5. 5
   noun

   A small container for illicit drugs made from a condom or the finger of a latex glove, etc.

   And all I had to do in return was take a drive up to Ricardo's place on the way home and then a pretty edgy one back to Rondebosch with a balloon of coke sandwiched between two pairs of underpants.

6. 6
   noun

   Synonym of balloon payment.

   The purpose of the balloon is to reduce the periodic payment required during the life of the financing period.

7. 7
   verb

   To increase or expand rapidly.

   His stomach ballooned from eating such a large meal.

8. 8
   verb

   To inflate like a balloon.

   A puff of wind from the open door caught and ballooned the scanties; off they sailed, out the window billowing into freedom.

Etymology

First use appears c. 1591, "a game played with a large, inflated leather ball" (possibly via Middle French ballon) from Italian pallone (“large ball”) from palla (“ball”), from Lombardic *palla. The Northern Italian form, balla (“ball-shaped bundle”), today a doublet, likely derived from Old French balle, from Frankish *balla (“ball”), and may have influenced the spelling of this word. Both Germanic words are from Proto-Germanic *ballô (“ball”), *balluz, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰoln- (“bubble”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to blow, swell, inflate”). Akin to Old High German ballo, bal…