*ball*

. (Law) A system of balloting or voting in public elections, originally used in South Australia, in which there is such an arrangement for polling votes that secrecy is compulsorily maintained, and the ballot used is an official ballot printed and distributed by the government. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ OE. bal, balle; akin to OHG. balla, palla, G. ball, Icel. böllr, ball; cf. F. balle. Cf. 1st Bale, n., Pallmall. ] 1. Any round or roundish body or mass; a sphere or globe; as, a ball of twine; a ball of snow. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A spherical body of any substance or size used to play with, as by throwing, knocking, kicking, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A general name for games in which a ball is thrown, kicked, or knocked. See Baseball, and Football. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Any solid spherical, cylindrical, or conical projectile of lead or iron, to be discharged from a firearm; as, a cannon ball; a rifle ball; -- often used collectively; as, powder and ball. Spherical balls for the smaller firearms are commonly called bullets. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Pyrotechnics & Mil.) A flaming, roundish body shot into the air; a case filled with combustibles intended to burst and give light or set fire, or to produce smoke or stench; as, a fire ball; a stink ball. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Print.) A leather-covered cushion, fastened to a handle called a ballstock; -- formerly used by printers for inking the form, but now superseded by the roller. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. A roundish protuberant portion of some part of the body; as, the ball of the thumb; the ball of the foot. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. (Far.) A large pill, a form in which medicine is commonly given to horses; a bolus. White. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. The globe or earth. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

Move round the dark terrestrial ball. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

10. (Baseball) A pitched ball, not struck at by the batter, which fails to pass over the home plate at a height not greater than the batter's shoulder nor less than his knee (i.e. it is outside the strike zone). If the pitcher pitches four balls before three strikes are called, the batter advances to first base, and the action of pitching four balls is called a walk. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC ]

10. a testicle; usually used in the plural. [ vulgar ] [ PJC ]

11. pl. courage; nerve. [ vulgar ] [ PJC ]

Ball and socket joint, a joint in which a ball moves within a socket, so as to admit of motion in every direction within certain limits. --
Ball bearings, a mechanical device for lessening the friction of axle bearings by means of small loose metal balls. --
Ball cartridge, a cartridge containing a ball, as distinguished from a blank cartridge, containing only powder. --
Ball cock, a faucet or valve which is opened or closed by the fall or rise of a ball floating in water at the end of a lever. --
Ball gudgeon, a pivot of a spherical form, which permits lateral deflection of the arbor or shaft, while retaining the pivot in its socket. Knight. --
Ball lever, the lever used in a ball cock. --
Ball of the eye, the eye itself, as distinguished from its lids and socket; -- formerly, the pupil of the eye. --
Ball valve (Mach.), a contrivance by which a ball, placed in a circular cup with a hole in its bottom, operates as a valve. --
Ball vein (Mining), a sort of iron ore, found in loose masses of a globular form, containing sparkling particles. --
Three balls, or
Three golden balls, a pawnbroker's sign or shop. --
on the ball alert; competent and knowledgeable. --
to carry the ball to carry on the task; to assume the responsibility. --
to drop the ball to fail to perform as expected; to fail to live up to a responsibility. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- See Globe. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Balled p. pr. & vb. n. Balling. ] To gather balls which cling to the feet, as of damp snow or clay; to gather into balls; as, the horse balls; the snow balls. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. 1. (Metal.) To heat in a furnace and form into balls for rolling. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To form or wind into a ball; as, to ball cotton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. bal, fr. OF. baler to dance, fr. LL. ballare. Of uncertain origin; cf. Gr. ba`llein to toss or throw, or pa`llein, pa`llesqai, to leap, bound, balli`zein to dance, jump about; or cf. 1st Ball, n. ] 1. A social assembly for the purpose of dancing; -- usually applied to an occasion lavish or formal. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

2. A very enjoyable time; as, we had a ball at the wedding. [ PJC ]

n. [ OE. balade, OF. balade, F. ballade, fr. Pr. ballada a dancing song, fr. ballare to dance; cf. It. ballata. See 2d Ball, n., and Ballet. ] A popular kind of narrative poem, adapted for recitation or singing; as, the ballad of Chevy Chase; esp., a sentimental or romantic poem in short stanzas. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To make or sing ballads. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To make mention of in ballads. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Ballad, n. ] A form of French versification, sometimes imitated in English, in which three or four rhymes recur through three stanzas of eight or ten lines each, the stanzas concluding with a refrain, and the whole poem with an envoy. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A writer of ballads. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ See Monger. ] A seller or maker of ballads; a poetaster. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From Ballad, n. ] Ballad poems; the subject or style of ballads. “Base balladry is so beloved.” Drayton. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. A fast-sailing schooner, used in the Bermudas and West Indies. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ Corrupted fr. bullirag. ] To bully; to threaten. [ Low ] T. Warton.
Syn. -- bullirag; bullyrag. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ D. ballast; akin to Dan. baglast, ballast, OSw. barlast, Sw. ballast. The first part is perh. the same word as E. bare, adj.; the second is last a burden, and hence the meaning a bare, or mere, load. See Bare, a., and Last load. ] 1. (Naut.) Any heavy substance, as stone, iron, etc., put into the hold to sink a vessel in the water to such a depth as to prevent capsizing. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Any heavy matter put into the car of a balloon to give it steadiness. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Gravel, broken stone, etc., laid in the bed of a railroad to make it firm and solid. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. The larger solids, as broken stone or gravel, used in making concrete. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Fig.: That which gives, or helps to maintain, uprightness, steadiness, and security. [ 1913 Webster ]

It [ piety ] is the right ballast of prosperity. Barrow. [ 1913 Webster ]

Ballast engine, a steam engine used in excavating and for digging and raising stones and gravel for ballast. --
Ship in ballast, a ship carrying only ballast. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Ballasted; p. pr. & vb. n. Ballasting. ] 1. To steady, as a vessel, by putting heavy substances in the hold. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To fill in, as the bed of a railroad, with gravel, stone, etc., in order to make it firm and solid. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To keep steady; to steady, morally. [ 1913 Webster ]

'T is charity must ballast the heart. Hammond. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Law) A toll paid for the privilege of taking up ballast in a port or harbor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. That which is used for steadying anything; ballast. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Balladry. [ Obs. ] Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. prenom. formed or gathered into a ball. balled cotton [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A female ballet dancer.
Syn. -- danseuse. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

‖n. [ F., a dim. of bal dance. See 2d Ball, n. ] 1. An artistic dance performed as a theatrical entertainment, or an interlude, by a number of persons, usually women. Sometimes, a scene accompanied by pantomime and dancing. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The company of persons who perform the ballet. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Mus.) A light part song, or madrigal, with a fa la burden or chorus, -- most common with the Elizabethan madrigal composers; -- also spelled ballett. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Her.) A bearing in coats of arms, representing one or more balls, which are denominated bezants, plates, etc., according to color. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. of or pertaining to ballet{ 1 }. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a man who trains ballet dancers. [ PJC ]

n. a woman who trains ballet dancers. [ PJC ]

n. a ballet enthusiast. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a heelless slipper specifically designed to be worn by ballet dancers while dancing. [ PJC ]

n. (Arch.) An ornament resembling a ball placed in a circular flower, the petals of which form a cup round it, -- usually inserted in a hollow molding. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. (Baseball or basketball or football) skilled in stealing the ball or robbing a batter of a hit; -- used of a Baseball or basketball or football player. a ball-hawking center fielder [ WordNet 1.5 ]

‖n.; pl. Ballistæ [ L. ballista, balista, fr. Gr. ba`llein to throw. ] An ancient military engine, in the form of a crossbow, used for hurling large missiles. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. ballista. Cf. Balister. ] A crossbow. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Of or pertaining to the ballista, or to the art of hurling stones or missile weapons by means of an engine. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Pertaining to ballistics{ 2 }, or to a projectile in a gravitational field. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

3. frenzied; very angry; -- used mostly in the phrase
go ballistic. [ Colloq. ] [ PJC ]

Ballistic pendulum, an instrument consisting of a mass of wood or other material suspended as a pendulum, for measuring the force and velocity of projectiles by means of the arc through which their impact impels it. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A rocket-propelled missile of long range which is guided only during the powered portion of its flight, which usually takes only a small part of the total flight time; -- contrasted with guided missile. Ballistic missiles are sometimes referred to by their range, such as an
intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) or an
intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM). [ PJC ]

n. [ Cf. F. balistique. See Ballista. ] The science or art of hurling missile weapons by the use of an engine. Whewell. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The science treating the motion of projectiles in flight, especially when they are in free fall within the earth's gravitational field. [ PJC ]

3. The study of the characteristics of a cartridge fired from a firearm, and of the processes occurring during the discharge of a firearm. [ PJC ]

4. The division within a police department which studies the characteristics of cartridges fired from a firearm; the ballistics department. The characteristics of the weapons and bullets fired may be used as evidence in criminal investigations. [ PJC ]

n. [ See Ballista. ] (Chem.) A smokeless powder containing equal parts of soluble nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

‖n. [ LL. ] See Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. ballon, aug. of balle ball: cf. It. ballone. See 1st Ball, n., and cf. Pallone. ] 1. A bag made of silk or other light material, and filled with hydrogen gas or heated air, so as to rise and float in the atmosphere; especially, one with a car attached for aërial navigation. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Arch.) A ball or globe on the top of a pillar, church, etc., as at St. Paul's, in London. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Chem.) A round vessel, usually with a short neck, to hold or receive whatever is distilled; a glass vessel of a spherical form. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Pyrotechnics) A bomb or shell. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

5. A game played with a large inflated ball. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Engraving) The outline inclosing words represented as coming from the mouth of a pictured figure. [ 1913 Webster ]

Air balloon, a balloon for aërial navigation. --
Balloon frame (Carp.), a house frame constructed altogether of small timber. --
Balloon net, a variety of woven lace in which the weft threads are twisted in a peculiar manner around the warp. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To take up in, or as if in, a balloon. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To go up or voyage in a balloon. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To expand, or puff out, like a balloon. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Swelled out like a balloon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who goes up in a balloon; an aëronaut. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Zool.) A fish of the genus Diodon (such as Diodon holocanthus) or the genus Tetraodon, having the power of distending its body by taking air or water into its dilatable esophagus. It is similar to but smaller than the porcupinefish. See Globefish, and Bur fish. [ 1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. The art or practice of managing balloons or voyaging in them; the sport of riding in balloons.
balloonry (archaic) [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

2. (Stock Exchange) The process of temporarily raising the value of a stock, as by fictitious sales. [ U.S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

(Zool.) A spider which has the habit of rising into the air. Many kinds (esp. species of Lycosa) do this while young by ejecting threads of silk until the force of the wind upon them carries the spider aloft. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An aëronaut. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The art or practice of ascending in a balloon; an older term for ballooning. [ Archaic ] [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

n. [ F. ballotte, fr. It. ballotta. See Ball round body. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Originally, a ball used for secret voting. Hence: Any printed or written ticket used in voting. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The act of secret voting, whether by balls, written or printed ballots or tickets, or by use of a voting machine; the system of voting secretly. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

The insufficiency of the ballot. Dickens. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The whole number of votes cast at an election, or in a given territory or electoral district. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. the official list of candidates competing in an election. There are no women on the ballot. [ 1913 Webster ]

Ballot box, (a) a box for receiving ballots. (b) the act, process or system of voting secretly; same as ballot{ 2 }. “The question will be resolved by the ballot box.” [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Balloted; p. pr. & vb. n. Balloting. ] [ F. ballotter to toss, to ballot, or It. ballottare. See Ballot, n. ] To vote or decide by ballot; as, to ballot for a candidate. [ 1913 Webster ]