1570, "a game played with a large, inflated leather ball" (possibly via Middle French ballon) from Italian pallone ("large ball") from palla, from Langobardic *palla. The Northern Italian form, balla, today a doublet, likely derived from Old French balle, from Frankish *ballu, and may have influenced the spelling of this word. Both Germanic words are from Proto-Germanic *ballô ("ball"), *balluz, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰoln- ("bubble"), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- ("to blow, swell, inflate"). Akin to Old High German ballo, bal, (German Ballen ("bale"); Ball "ball"). ballon. More at ball.
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