# billow

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈbɪloʊ/ · frequency rank #82,098

## Definitions
1. A large wave, swell, surge, or undulating mass of something, such as water, smoke, fabric or sound

## Etymology
From Middle English *bilwe, borrowed from Old Norse bylgja, from Proto-Germanic *bulgijō.
Cognates include Danish bølge (“wave”); Norwegian Bokmål bølge (“wave”), Norwegian Nynorsk bylgje (“wave”); Swedish bölja (“wave”); German Low German Bulge, Bulg, Bülg (“billow, wave”); German Bulge (“billow, wave”). Compare bellow, bawl.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/billow