Balls are objects typically used in games. They are usually spherical but can be ovoid. In most games using balls, the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used for simpler activities, such as catch, marbles and juggling. Balls made from hard-wearing metal are used in engineering applications to provide frictionless bearings, known as ball bearings. Look up ball in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A sphere is a symmetrical geometrical object. ... An oval or ovoid was originally an egg shape (from Latin OVVM); it is now usually used to refer to ellipses, but can also mean any similar shape, such as egg shapes or race-course shapes (a semicircle on either side of a quadrilateral). ... Alternate uses: See Ball (disambiguation) A ball is a round object that is used most often in sports and games. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Baseball In baseball, a catch occurs when a fielder gains secure possession of a batted ball in flight, and maintains possession until he voluntarily or negligently releases the ball. ... Hand-made marbles from West Africa Different glass marbles from a glass-mill For other uses, see Marbles (disambiguation). ... Juggling is a form of skillful, often artful, object manipulation. ... It has been suggested that Properties and uses of metals be merged into this article or section. ... Engineering is the applied science of acquiring and applying knowledge to design, analysis, and/or construction of works for practical purposes. ... A bearing is a component used to reduce friction in a machine. ... Nickel-chrome plated steel balls A ball bearing is a common type of rolling_element bearing, a kind of bearing. ...

Although many types of balls are today made from rubber, this form was unknown outside the Americas until after the voyages of Columbus. The Spanish were the first Europeans to see bouncing rubber balls (albeit solid and not inflated) which were employed most notably in the Mesoamerican ballgame. Balls used in various sports in other parts of the world prior to Columbus were made from other materials such as animal bladders or skins, stuffed with various materials. This does not cite any references or sources. ... Look up columbus in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Ulama game. ...

Etymology

The first known use of the word ball in English in the sense of a globular body that is played with was in 1205 in Laȝamon's Brut, or Chronicle of Britain in the phrase, "Summe heo driuen balles wide ȝeond Þa feldes." The word came from the Middle English bal (inflected as ball-e, -es, in turn from Old Norse böllr (pronounced [bɔllr]; compare Old Swedish baller, and Swedish boll) from Proto-Germanic ballu-z, (whence probably Middle High German bal, ball-es, Middle Dutch bal), a cognate with Old High German ballo, pallo, Middle High German balle from Proto-Germanic *ballon (weak masculine), and Old High German ballâ, pallâ, Middle High German balle, Proto-Germanic *ballôn (weak feminine). No Old English representative of any of these is known. (The answering forms in Old English would have been beallu, -a, -e -- compare bealluc, ballock.) If ball- was native in Germanic, it may have been a cognate with the Latin foll-is in sense of a "thing blown up or inflated." In the later Middle English spelling balle the word coincided graphically with the French balle "ball" and "bale", which has hence been erroneously assumed to be its source. French balle (but not boule) is assumed to be of Germanic origin, itself, however. Layamon, or Laȝamon (using the archaic letter yogh), was a poet of the early 13th century, whose Brut (c. ... Middle English is the name given by historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman invasion of 1066 and the mid-to-late 15th century, when the Chancery Standard, a form of London-based English, began to become widespread, a process aided by the... Old Norse or Danish tongue is the Germanic language once spoken by the inhabitants of the Nordic countries (for instance during the Viking Age). ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Look up cognate in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The (Late Old High) German speaking area of the Holy Roman Empire around 950. ...

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Images

Computed tomography of a soccer ball (Video) Image File history File links RadZepMov_soccer_hires_computed_tomography_shoe_and_ball_color. ...	Baseball Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 619 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1697 × 1644 pixel, file size: 1. ... A baseball ball A baseball is a ball used primarily in the sport of the same name, baseball. ...	Basketball Image File history File linksMetadata Basketball. ... This article is about the sport. ...	Cricket ball Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x682, 104 KB) Description: Cricket Ball, Made in Australia Source: self-made Photographer/Painter: Rene Schwietzke File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Ball ... Cricket ball A cricket ball is a hard, solid ball used to play cricket. ...
Billiard balls Download high resolution version (1024x768, 147 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... A close-up picture of American-style pool balls Billiard balls are used in cue sports, such as carom billiards, pool, and snooker. ...	Lacrosse ball Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... A yellow lacrosse ball. ...	Australian rules football Image File history File links Sherrin AFL football (non-transparent) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... High marking is a key skill and spectator attribute of Australian rules football Precise field and goal kicking using the oval shaped ball is the key skill in Australian rules football Australian rules football, also known as Australian football, Aussie rules, or simply football or footy is a code of...	Tennis ball Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 602 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2023 × 2013 pixel, file size: 3. ... A Penn tennis ball. ...
American Football Download high resolution version (2272x1704, 885 KB)Source: http://www. ... United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ...	rugby union Image File history File links Rugbyball2. ... A rugby union scrum. ...	Sliotar used in hurling Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Sliotar(Ball) and Hurley A sliotar (or sliothar) is a hard ball about the size of a tennis ball, consisting of a cork core covered by two pieces of leather stitched together. ... For the Cornish sport, see Cornish Hurling. ...

See also

• Super Ball