From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:
ball
n 1: round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games; "the
ball travelled 90 mph on his serve"; "the mayor threw
out the first ball"; "the ball rolled into the corner
pocket"
2: a solid ball shot by a musket; "they had to carry a ramrod
as well as powder and ball" [syn: musket ball]
3: an object with a spherical shape; "a ball of fire" [syn:
globe, orb]
4: the people assembled at a lavish formal dance; "the ball was
already emptying out before the fire alarm sounded"
5: one of the two male reproductive glands that produce
spermatozoa and secrete androgens; "she kicked him in the
balls and got away" [syn: testis, testicle, orchis,
ballock, bollock, nut, egg]
6: a spherical object used as a plaything; "he played with his
rubber ball in the bathtub"
7: United States comedienne best known as the star of a popular
television program (1911-1989) [syn: Ball, {Lucille
Ball}]
8: a compact mass; "a ball of mud caught him on the shoulder"
[syn: clod, glob, lump, clump, chunk]
9: a lavish formal dance
10: a more or less rounded anatomical body or mass; ball of the
human foot or ball at the base of the thumb; "he stood on
the balls of his feet"
11: a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of
9 players; teams take turns at bat trying to score run;
"he played baseball in high school"; "there was a
baseball game on every empy lot"; "there was a desire for
National League ball in the area"; "play ball!" [syn:
baseball, baseball game]
12: a pitch that is not in the strike zone; "he threw nine
straight balls before the manager yanked him"
v : form into a ball by winding or rolling; "ball wool"
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Ball \Ball\ (b[add]l), n. [OE. bal, balle; akin to OHG. balla,
palla, G. ball, Icel. b["o]llr, 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]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Ball \Ball\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Balled (b[add]ld); 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]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Ball \Ball\, 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]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Ball \Ball\, 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]