volley

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a tennis return made by hitting the ball before it bounces

   The player hit the volley for a point.

2. 2
   noun

   rapid simultaneous discharge of firearms

   The troops fired a volley on command.

3. 3
   verb

   to discharge in, or as if in, a volley

   The attackers volleyed gunshots at the civilians.

4. 4
   verb

   to hit before it touches the ground

   The player volleyed the tennis ball.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Volley entered English in the late 16th century as a term for a flying shot. It ultimately belongs to the same Latin word family as volatile, based on volare, “to fly.”

From Middle French volée (“flight”), from Vulgar Latin volta, from Late Latin volatus.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary