knuckleball

English

noun
Definitions
  • (baseball) A pitch thrown with the ball gripped on the fingertips and released with no rotation, which travels over an unpredictable path to the plate due to micro-turbulence in the air.
  • (figurative) An event that is hard to predict.

Etymology

Compound from English knuckle + English ball (testicle, round object).

Origin

English

ball

Gloss

testicle, round object

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms