Walloping

Part of speech: noun, verb, adjective

Definitions

1. A strong or severe blow or strike; an event characterized by an overwhelming or impressive impact; a term used informally to describe something that is notably large or significant in size or effect
2. A hefty hit or forceful impact that brings considerable power; an instance marked by an impressive or overwhelming occurrence; an informal descriptor for something exceptionally large or substantial
3. A vigorous and powerful strike that can be felt distinctly; an occurrence that is overwhelmingly impressive in nature; a colloquial way to refer to something that is remarkably large or impactful

Etymology: Anyone who has been walloped has been hit by a gallop, or at least by a word that once meant one. "Wallop" comes from Middle English "wallopen", meaning to gallop, borrowed from Old Northern French "waloper", which in turn comes from Frankish "wala hlaupan", "to run well." Gallop itself is a doublet of the word, descended from the same Old French "galoper." The blow sense is a later extension: a rider's charge, with all its weight and speed, became a heavy strike. A second theory traces the word to a Frankish compound meaning "battle run," built from elements for battlefield and course, and some sources suggest the word's earliest sense was linked to a violent charge. The evidence is uncertain, so the gallop origin is the safer account. "Walloping" is the present participle of the verb, used here as an adjective meaning enormous or thumping, and as a noun for a beating.

Synonyms: beating, thumping, pounding, whacking, clobbering

Antonyms: gentleness, softness, lightness, tenderness, delicacy