| Main Entry: | avalanche |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | falling large mass; sudden rush of large quantity |
Synonyms: |
barrage, deluge, flood, inundation, landslide, landslip, snowslide, torrent |
| Notes: | avalanche means literally 'a gulp, something swallowed' from French avaler 'to swallow' and Italian lava 'torrent' and refers to snow, rocks, or other debris coming down a mountainside - whereas a landslide is an entire mountainside coming down |
| Main Entry: | landslide |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | landslip |
Synonyms: |
avalanche, earthfall, mudslide, rockslide, snowslide |