die Lawine
avalanche
A large mass of snow, ice, and rock that rushes down a mountain at high speed.
EXAMPLE
Wegen der hohen Lawinengefahr wurden mehrere Bergstraßen gesperrt.
Because of the high avalanche risk, several mountain roads were closed.
die Lawine
avalanche
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Meanings
die Lawine
avalanche
In a figurative sense, a large, sudden, and often overwhelming amount of something.
EXAMPLE
Der umstrittene Artikel löste eine Lawine von Leserbriefen aus.
The controversial article triggered an avalanche of letters from readers.
Usage tips
Typical verbs
Certain verbs are often used in connection with avalanches. An avalanche 'geht ab' (comes down) or 'löst sich' (breaks loose). People can be 'von einer Lawine verschüttet' (buried by an avalanche).
EXAMPLE
Gestern ist in den Alpen eine große Lawine abgegangen.
A large avalanche came down in the Alps yesterday.
Common compound words
'Lawine' (avalanche) is often the first part of compound nouns that have to do with danger in the mountains. Important examples are 'die Lawinengefahr' (avalanche risk), 'die Lawinenwarnung' (avalanche warning), and 'der Lawinenabgang' (avalanche release/avalanche event).
EXAMPLE
Bitte beachten Sie die aktuelle Lawinenwarnung für diese Region.
Please note the current avalanche warning for this region.
Triggering an avalanche
In the figurative meaning, the verb 'auslösen' (to trigger) is often used. An event 'löst eine Lawine von etwas aus' (triggers an avalanche of something), for example an avalanche of criticism or of willingness to help.
EXAMPLE
Sein Kommentar in den sozialen Medien löste eine Lawine der Empörung aus.
His comment on social media triggered an avalanche of outrage.
Context clue
You can recognize the figurative meaning by the fact that 'Lawine' (avalanche) is combined with abstract nouns, such as 'eine Lawine von Anfragen' (an avalanche of inquiries), 'eine Lawine von Protesten' (an avalanche of protests), or 'eine Klagelawine' (a flood of lawsuits).
EXAMPLE
Nach der Ankündigung erhielt das Unternehmen eine Lawine von Bewerbungen.
After the announcement, the company received an avalanche of applications.
Compare with
Lawine vs Welle
wave
Welle and Lawine can both describe a large amount of something that appears suddenly. Welle tends to emphasize that something is spreading quickly or occurring as a phase. Lawine emphasizes more strongly that the amount is becoming overwhelming and almost impossible to handle.
Lawine
Nach der Änderung erreichte den Kundendienst eine kaum zu bewältigende Lawine von Beschwerden.
After the change, customer service was hit by an avalanche of complaints that was almost impossible to handle.
Welle
Nach der Änderung erreichte den Kundendienst eine Welle von Beschwerden.
After the change, customer service was hit by a wave of complaints.
In real life
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