Lob

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /lɒb/

Definitions

1. To launch an object in a high trajectory, typically in a manner that causes it to curve upwards
2. To throw or hit something with a gentle arcing motion to reach a target at a distance
3. To send an object through the air in a rounded path, often used in sports to pass or score

Etymology: The verb "lob" began life as a word for something heavy and lumpy. In the late 1500s it was used to mean "allow or cause to dangle or hang," and the idea of a limp, hanging weight carried over into the sport of throwing. The earlier noun "lobbe" described clumsy, lumpish things, and Middle Dutch and Middle Low German had a related word for a small, stocky fish, the cod. Some etymologists connect the English word to these relatives, and the Danish "lobbes," meaning bumpkin or clown, shows the same heavy, awkward sense. The modern meaning, to hit or throw a ball in a high arc, grew out of that picture of something hanging loosely through the air. Its exact route into the sport is less clearly documented, and a blend of "long" and "bob" is also sometimes cited as a possible influence on the form.

Synonyms: throw, toss

Antonyms: catch