wallop
pronunciation
How to pronounce wallop in British English:
UK [ˈwɒləp]
How to pronounce wallop in American English:
US [ˈwɑləp]
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- Noun:
- a forceful consequence; a strong effect
- a severe blow
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- Verb:
- hit hard
- defeat soundly and utterly
Word Origin
- wallop
- wallop: [14] Wallop and gallop are doublets – that is to say, they began life as the same word, but have gradually drifted apart. Their ultimate common source was Frankish *walahlaupan ‘jump well’. This was a compound verb formed from *wala ‘well’ and *hlaupan ‘jump’, a relative of English leap. This was borrowed into Old French as galoper, which gave English gallop.But the northern dialect of Old French took it over as waloper, which is where English wallop comes from. This was originally used for ‘gallop’ (‘Came there king Charlemagne, as fast as his horse might wallop’. William Caxton, Four Sons of Aymon 1489), but after the acquisition of gallop it began to go steadily downhill semantically, helped on its way perhaps by its sound, suggestive of hitting.=> gallop
- wallop (v.)
- late 14c., "to gallop," possibly from Old North French *waloper (13c., Old French galoper), from Frankish compound *walalaupan "to run well" (compare Old High German wela "well," see well (adv.); and Old Low Franconian loupon "to run, leap," from Proto-Germanic *hlaupan; see leap (v.)). The meaning "to thrash" (1820) and the noun meaning "heavy blow" (1823) may be separate developments, of imitative origin. Related: Walloped; walloping.
Example
- 1. Let the hatred wallop !
- 2. It would wallop global investor and business confidence at a time when both are scarce .
- 3. The precise health wallop you suffer may have to do with how your body manifests stress .
- 4. An adjoining relief well had already been completed , and macondo got a final wallop of cement .
- 5. But president obama and his allies in congress are gearing up to wallop families and businesses with an array of new taxes to fund a host of spending plans .