balloon

n. [ F. ballon, aug. of balle ball: cf. It. ballone. See 1st Ball, n., and cf. Pallone. ] 1. A bag made of silk or other light material, and filled with hydrogen gas or heated air, so as to rise and float in the atmosphere; especially, one with a car attached for aërial navigation. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Arch.) A ball or globe on the top of a pillar, church, etc., as at St. Paul's, in London. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Chem.) A round vessel, usually with a short neck, to hold or receive whatever is distilled; a glass vessel of a spherical form. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Pyrotechnics) A bomb or shell. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

5. A game played with a large inflated ball. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Engraving) The outline inclosing words represented as coming from the mouth of a pictured figure. [ 1913 Webster ]

Air balloon, a balloon for aërial navigation. --
Balloon frame (Carp.), a house frame constructed altogether of small timber. --
Balloon net, a variety of woven lace in which the weft threads are twisted in a peculiar manner around the warp. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To take up in, or as if in, a balloon. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To go up or voyage in a balloon. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To expand, or puff out, like a balloon. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Swelled out like a balloon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who goes up in a balloon; an aëronaut. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Zool.) A fish of the genus Diodon (such as Diodon holocanthus) or the genus Tetraodon, having the power of distending its body by taking air or water into its dilatable esophagus. It is similar to but smaller than the porcupinefish. See Globefish, and Bur fish. [ 1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. The art or practice of managing balloons or voyaging in them; the sport of riding in balloons.
balloonry (archaic) [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

2. (Stock Exchange) The process of temporarily raising the value of a stock, as by fictitious sales. [ U.S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

(Zool.) A spider which has the habit of rising into the air. Many kinds (esp. species of Lycosa) do this while young by ejecting threads of silk until the force of the wind upon them carries the spider aloft. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An aëronaut. [ 1913 Webster ]