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 ]

n. [ OE. bal, balle; akin to OHG. balla, palla, G. ball, Icel. böllr, 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cushion, fastened to a handle called a ballstock; -- formerly used by printers for inking the form, but now superseded by the roller.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 ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Balled 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 ]

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 ]

v. t. To make mention of in ballads. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. balade, OF. balade, F. ballade, fr. Pr. ballada a dancing song, fr. ballare to dance; cf. It. ballata. See 2d Ball, n., and Ballet. ] A popular kind of narrative poem, adapted for recitation or singing; as, the ballad of Chevy Chase; esp., a sentimental or romantic poem in short stanzas. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To make or sing ballads. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Ballad, n. ] A form of French versification, sometimes imitated in English, in which three or four rhymes recur through three stanzas of eight or ten lines each, the stanzas concluding with a refrain, and the whole poem with an envoy. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A writer of ballads. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ See Monger. ] A seller or maker of ballads; a poetaster. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]