Volleyed

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To have launched a succession of projectiles or ideas simultaneously in a coordinated way
2. To have executed a series of rapid exchanges or actions, particularly in sports or discussions, in a seamless manner
3. Propelled a group of objects at once through the air ; participated in a quick series of back-and-forth actions or responses

Etymology: "Volleyed" is the past tense of "volley," so its story is really the story of the noun. "Volley" came into English from Middle French "volée," meaning "flight," and that French word traces back through Vulgar Latin "volta" to Late Latin "volatus," the past participle of "volare," to fly. The sense of flight is the original heart of the word: a volley was something sent flying through the air. That physical sense explains the verb's two meanings. Throwing or firing a batch of missiles together, whether arrows, stones or gunfire, was a volley in its earliest use, and the verb follows from that launch-into-the-air idea. The later sense of rapid back-and-forth exchange, as in a volley of questions or a volley of blows, grew from the same notion of many things sent in quick succession. Sports took the word further still: in tennis and football, a volley is a ball struck before it touches the ground, which keeps the picture of an object in flight.

Synonyms: hit, struck