balle

See also: Balle, ballé, ballē, ballë, and Bälle

Afrikaans

Noun

balle

1. plural of bal

Cornish

Etymology

Borrowed from French ballet.

Noun

balle ?

1. ballet

Mutation

Mutation of balle

radical	soft	aspirate	hard	mixed
balle	valle	unchanged	palle	falle, valle*

* after 'th
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Cornish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

References

• “balle” in Cornish Dictionary / Gerlyver Kernewek, Akademi Kernewek.

Dutch

Verb

balle

1. (dated or formal) singular present subjunctive of ballen

Anagrams

• label

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bal/

• Audio:

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• Audio (Switzerland (Valais)):

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• Audio (France (Vosges)):

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• Audio (France):

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• Audio (France (Vosges)):

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• Audio (France (Lyon)):

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• Rhymes: -al

Etymology 1

Inherited from Middle French balle, from northern Italian balla. Doublet of balle (“bundle”).

Noun

balle f (plural balles)

1. (small) ball
2. bullet
3. (colloquial) franc (French franc), euro

Derived terms

• à deux balles
• à fond de balle
• balle de baseball
• balle de break
• balle de golf
• balle de match
• balle de plastique
• balle de set
• balle de squash
• balle de tennis
• balle de volley
• balle rapide
• balle rebondissante
• hockey-balle
• renvoyer la balle
• saisir la balle au bond
• se tirer une balle
• trou de balle

Descendants

• Haitian Creole: bal
• → Khmer: បាល់ (bal)
• → Lao: ບານ (bān)
• → Portuguese: bala
• → Russian: балл (ball)
  • → Armenian: բալ (bal)
  • → Azerbaijani: bal
  • → Georgian: ბალი (bali)
• → Vietnamese: banh

See also

• ballon (larger ball)
• boule, boulette
• pare-balles

Etymology 2

Inherited from Middle French balle (“large bundle, package”), from Old French bale (“rolled-up bundle, packet of goods”) and Medieval Latin bala, of Germanic origin. Cognate with English ball. Doublet of Etymology 1.

Noun

balle f (plural balles)

1. bundle of goods; packet tied and held together with string

Etymology 3

From Gaulish *balu.

Alternative forms

• bale

Noun

balle f (uncountable)

1. chaff (inedible casing of a grain seed)

References

• Nouveau Petit Larousse illustré. Dictionnaire encyclopédique. Paris, Librairie Larousse, 1952, 146th edition

Further reading

• “balle”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Anagrams

• label

German

Pronunciation

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -alə

Verb

balle

1. inflection of ballen:
   1. first-person singular present
   2. singular imperative
   3. first/third-person singular subjunctive I

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbal.le/
• Rhymes: -alle
• Hyphenation: bàl‧le

Noun

balle f

1. plural of balla

Anagrams

• bella

Latvian

Balle

Etymology

From French bal (“a dance”).

Noun

balle f (5th declension)

1. ball (old-fashioned spacious, luxurious dancing party)

   balles tērps ― ball dress, clothes

   zaļumu balle ― open-air ball, dancing party

   masku balle ― masquerade (lit. mask ball)

2. (colloquial) a small party, with food and drinks

   vakar pēc sapulces ceplī bijusi īsta balle ― yesterday after the meeting in the kiln there was a real ball

Declension

Declension of balle (5th)

	singular	plural
nominative	balle	balles
genitive	balles	baļļu
dative	ballei	ballēm
accusative	balli	balles
instrumental	balli	ballēm
locative	ballē	ballēs
vocative	balle	balles

Derived terms

• zaļumballe, zaļumu balle

Noun

balle f (5th declension)

1. point (on a scale), grade, level

   atzīmes 10-ballu skalā ― marks on a 10-point scale

Declension

Declension of balle (5th)

	singular	plural
nominative	balle	balles
genitive	balles	ballu
dative	ballei	ballēm
accusative	balli	balles
instrumental	balli	ballēm
locative	ballē	ballēs
vocative	balle	balles

Limburgish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɑ.lə/
• Hyphenation: bal‧le
• Rhymes: -ɑlə

Etymology 1

From bal +‎ -e.

Verb

balle

1. (intransitive) to play with a ball

Conjugation

Montfortian conjugation of balle (first conjugation)

non-finite forms	infinitive	gerund	present participle	past participle	adjective	adverb
	(tö) balle	't balle n	ballendj	höbbe gebal	gebaldje, gebaldjer, gebaldjes	gebaldj, gebaldjelik
number & tense	verb-second order			verb-first order
	present	past	subjunctive	present	past	subjunctive
first person singular	bal	baldje	balle	bal	baldje-n	balle-n
second person singular	bals	baldjes	balle	bals	baldjes	baller
third person singular	baltj	baldje	balle	baltj'r	baldje	baller
first person plural	balle	baldje	balle	baltj	baldje	balle
second person plural	baltj	baldje	balle	baltj	baldje	balletj
third person plural	balle	baldje	balle	balle	baldje	baller
other forms	noun	imperative singular impolite	imperative singular polite	imperative dual	imperative plural	inclusive
	't gebal n	bal!	baltj!	baltj, balletj!	baltj!	ballem

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

balle

1. inflection of bal:
   1. (some dialects, mainly West Limburgish) nominative plural
   2. (archaic) accusative singular

Makasar

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbalːe/, [ˈɓal.lɛ]
• Hyphenation: bal‧le

Etymology 1

Compare to Malay bonglai, Sundanese penglai, Javanese ꦧꦼꦁꦭꦺ (benglé), Khmer ពន្លៃ (pŭənlɨy, “cassumunar ginger”), Thai ไพล (plai, “cassumunar ginger”).

Noun

balle (Lontara spelling ᨅᨒᨙ or 𑻤𑻮𑻵, definite ballea)

1. (botany) Cassumunar ginger (Zingiber montanum, syn. Zingiber cassumunar) of the family Zingiberaceae.

Derived terms

compounds

• borong balle

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Root

balle (Lontara spelling ᨅᨒᨙ or 𑻤𑻮𑻵)

1. precategorial root related to medicine and healing

Derived terms

affixations

• appaʼballe
• balleiang
• ballèi
• paballe
• paʼballe

Etymology 3

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Root

balle (Lontara spelling ᨅᨒᨙ or 𑻤𑻮𑻵)

1. precategorial root related to spilling or pouring

Derived terms

affixations

• balleang
• ballèi
• paballe
• pataʼballe
• taʼballe
• taʼballèi

Further reading

• Cense, A. A. (1979), Makassaars-Nederlands woordenboek [Makasar-Dutch dictionary], 's-Gravenhage: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN

Middle English

Noun

balle

1. alternative form of bal

Middle French

Etymology 1

From northern Italian balla (“ball”).

Noun

balle f (plural balles)

1. ball (spherical object used in games)
   1. small metal ball used as artillery

Coordinate terms

• boulet

Descendants

• French: balle
  • → Portuguese: bala
    • → Shona: bala

Etymology 2

From Old French balle, from Frankish *balla, from Proto-Germanic *ballô, *balluz (“ball”).

Noun

balle f (plural balles)

1. bundle

Descendants

• French: balle

Moore

Etymology

from French balle

Noun

balle

1. ball (object)

Norman

Etymology

Of Germanic origin.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Jersey):

  (file)

Noun

balle f (plural balles)

1. (Jersey) ball
2. (Jersey) bullet

Derived terms

• balle-à-leunettes (“jack o'lantern”)
• balle dé l'yi (“eyeball”)

Northern Sami

Pronunciation

• (Kautokeino) IPA^(key): /ˈpalle/

Verb

balle

1. inflection of ballat:
   1. first-person dual present indicative
   2. third-person plural past indicative

Swedish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbaˌlɛ/

Etymology 1

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Adjective

balle

1. definite natural masculine singular of ball

Etymology 2

From Old Swedish balder, baller, from Old Norse bǫllr, from Proto-Germanic *balluz, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to blow, inflate, swell”). Doublet of boll and bulle. Compare Old English bealluc, English bollock, Danish balde (“buttock”). First attested in 1520.

Noun

balle c (colloquial)

1. (colloquial, vulgar) a schlong, cock ((larger) penis)
   • 1993, Helga Kress, “Vad en kvinna kväder. Kultur och kön på Island i fornnordisk medeltid [What a woman feels. Culture and gender in Iceland in the Old Norse Middle Ages]”, in Elisabeth Møller Jensen, editor, Nordisk kvinnolitteraturhistoria I [Nordic history of women's literature I]‎^[1], page 59:

     Trälen skär av "med ett raskt snitt den lem, som efter naturens ordning det slags skapelser har till avlande... och som, efter vad de gamla skalderna säger, heter ballen på hästar". Bondsonen kommer skrattande in i rummet till sin mor, syster och trälkvinnan och hotar dem med ballen. Han kväder en smädevers. där han ger ballen namnet Völse (etymologiskt detsamma som fallos).

     The thrall cuts off "with a quick cut the limb, which, according to the order of nature, this kind of creation [(horse)] has for breeding... and which, according to what the old poets say, is on horses called the [penis]". The farm-son comes laughing into the room of his mother, sister and thrall woman and threatens them with the [penis]. He chants a slanderous verse, where he gives the [penis] the name Völse (etymologically the same as phallus).

2. (colloquial, usually in the plural) a testicle
3. (Southern) a buttock

Declension

Declension of balle

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	balle	balles
	definite	ballen	ballens
plural	indefinite	ballar	ballars
	definite	ballarna	ballarnas

Derived terms

• raggarballe med svängdörr
• suga balle (“suck cock”)
• vinballe (“whiskey dick”)

See also

• kuk

Etymology 3

Originally formed in its definitive form ballen as a humorous contraction of balkongen (“the balcony”), partly influenced by the sense ballen (“the penis; the scrotum”).

Noun

balle c (colloquial)

1. (humorous) a balcony

   Synonym: balkong

   • 2011 September 21, Kenza Zouiten, “Sitter på ballen med en kall cola”, in Kenzas.se‎^[2] (blog), archived from the original on 15 December 2024:

     Jag har hittat internet ute på ballen! Inte så stark signalstyrka dock så det går lite segt…

     I've found internet out on the balcony! The signal strength isn't that strong though, so it's a bit slow...

   • 2013 July 7, “Kulan och jag på ballen”, in Hon kallas Tess‎^[3] (blog), archived from the original on 30 November 2025:

     Solen skiner, jag och kulan [gravidmage] sitter på ballen och försöker få lite färg, orkar inte sitta i denna hetta egentligen känner mig som en svullen flodhäst!

     The sun is shining, me and the bump [pregnant belly] are sitting on the balcony trying to get some color, don't really have the energy to sit in this heat, feeling like a swollen hippo!

   • 2021 April 21, Patrik Isaksson, “patrikisakssonofficial”, in Instagram‎^[4] (social media), archived from the original on 12 October 2026:

     Sitter på ballen nu å njuter. Hoppas ni har en härlig dag.

     Sitting on the balcony now enjoying myself. Hope you have a wonderful day.

Declension

Declension of balle

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	balle	balles
	definite	ballen	ballens
plural	indefinite	ballar	ballars
	definite	ballarna	ballarnas

References

• “balle”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• “balle”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “balle”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• Fula Ordboken
• Slangopedia
• balder in Knut Fredrik Söderwall, Ordbok öfver svenska medeltids-språket, del 1: A-L