the.com/volley
Hitting the ball before it humbles itself by bouncing.
means To strike, throw, or fire something in a continuous burst or before it touches the ground — a shot returned in flight, not after it's fallen.
from From French volée, 'a flight,' from voler 'to fly,' tracing back to Latin volare (to fly). The tennis sense — hitting the ball on the fly — came first in English, borrowed from French court-tennis talk in the 1500s; the military sense (a simultaneous discharge of shots) flew in soon after, since a round of gunfire also leaves the ground in a single burst.
- origin
- from French voler, to fly
- tennis rule
- must contact ball before it bounces
- net play
- favors aggression over patience
- beyond sport
- also means a simultaneous round of gunfire