snow·ball  (sn ōbôl ′)
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n.1. A mass of soft, wet snow packed into a ball that can be thrown, as in play. 2. Any of several plants having rounded clusters of white flowers, especially certain cultivated viburnums. 3. Chiefly Southern US A snow cone. v. snow·balled, snow·ball·ing, snow·balls v.intr.1. To grow rapidly in significance, importance, or size: problems that snowballed by the hour. 2. To throw snowballs. v.tr.1. To cause to grow or increase rapidly. 2. To throw snowballs at. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
Indo-European Roots
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