volley

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

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒli

volley (plural volleys)

1. The simultaneous firing of a number of missiles or bullets; the projectiles so fired
   • Milton

     Fiery darts in flaming volleys flew.

   • Byron

     Each volley tells that thousands cease to breathe.

   • 1907, Harold Bindloss, chapter 30, in The Dust of Conflict‎:

     It was by his order the shattered leading company flung itself into the houses when the Sin Verguenza were met by an enfilading volley as they reeled into the calle.

2. A burst or emission of many things at once.

   a volley of words

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Ben Jonson to this entry?)

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Alexander Pope to this entry?)

3. (sports) The flight of a ball just before it bounces
4. (sports) A shot in which the ball is played before it hits the ground
   • 2011 October 1, John Sinnott, “Aston Villa 2–0 Wigan”, in BBC Sport‎:

     But there was nothing he could do about Villa's second when Agbonlahor crossed from the left and Bent finished with a precision volley.

5. (cricket) A sending of the ball full to the top of the wicket.

volley (third-person singular simple present volleys, present participle volleying, simple past and past participle volleyed)

1. (transitive) To fire a volley of shots
2. (sports, transitive) To hit the ball before it touches the ground
   • 2011 May 14, Peter Scrivener, “Sunderland 1–3 Wolverhampton”, in BBC Sport‎:

     Boudewijn Zenden hit the post from 25 yards for the home side before Jody Craddock volleyed Wolves ahead from 10 yards against his former club.

3. (intransitive) To be fired in a volley
4. (sports, intransitive) To make a volley
5. To sound together

• half volley
• scorpion volley
• volleyball

• Lovely, lovely

From English volleyball

• IPA^(key): /vɔ.lɛ/

volley m (uncountable)

1. (sports) volleyball

• volley-ball, volleyball

• “volley” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

volley m (invariable)

1. volleyball

• pallavolo

• vollistico