a b Garland, Robert (2008). Ancient Greece: Everyday Life in the Birthplace of Western Civilization. New York City, New York: Sterling. p.96. ISBN 978-1-4549-0908-8. Middle English bal, probably from Old English *beall; akin to Old English bealluc testis, Old High German balla ball, Old Norse bǫllr, Old English blāwan to blow — more at blow Some form of ball game is portrayed on early Egyptian monuments. Even among the Romans, who disliked participatory sports, ball play was extremely popular. The Roman baths set aside apartments for ball play, and many gentlemen had ball courts in their private villas. The ancient Roman ball was usually made of leather strips sewn together and filled with various materials. The smallest, the harpastum, was a hard ball stuffed with feathers. The largest, the follis, contained an air-filled bladder, similar to a modern football (soccer ball) or basketball. a b c d Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Ball". Encyclopædia Britannica (11thed.). Cambridge University Press. Plato (1909). "Phædo (Dialogues of Plato)". In Charles W. Eliot (ed.). The Apology, Phædo and Crito of Plato – The Golden Sayings of Epictetus – The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. The Harvard Classics. Vol.2. Translated by Benjamin Jowett (1sted.). New York: P. F. Collier and Son. p.107 . Retrieved May 16, 2020.

In outdoor sports, wet balls play differently than dry balls. In indoor sports, balls may become damp due to hand sweat. Any form of humidity or dampness will affect a ball's surface friction, which will alter a player's ability to impart spin on the ball. The action required to apply spin to a ball is governed by the physics of angular momentum. Spinning balls travelling through air (technically a fluid) will experience the Magnus effect, which can produce lateral deflections in addition to the normal up-down curvature induced by a combination of wind resistance and gravity. Gershon, Livia (October 21, 2020). "These Hair-Filled Leather Pouches Are the Oldest Balls Found in Eurasia". www.smithsonianmag.com. Smithsonian Institution . Retrieved November 2, 2020.

Synonyms

to start or keep something going, especially a conversation. He can be relied on to start the ball rolling at parties. die bal aan die rol sit يَجْعَلُ الشَّيئ مُستَمِرّا поддържам movimentar snažit se, aby řeč nestála, rozproudit etwas in Gang setzen få gang i ting; holde gående ξεκινώ μια διαδικασία ή/και κρατάω αμείωτο το ρυθμό της poner en marcha, emprender; mantener en marcha vestlust alustama, vestlust ülal hoidma شروع به کاری کردن؛ ادامه دادن pitää käynnissä lancer, soutenir la conversation לְהַתְחִיל לְגַלגֵל אֶת הַעֶסֶק pokrenuti társalgást elindít memulai halda hlutunum gangandi, brjóta ísinn tenere viva la conversazione うまく続けていく 일을 시작하다 pradėti/palaikyti pokalbį turpināt kaut ko iesāktu; neļaut apsīkt (sarunai) memulakan aan de gang brengen sette i gang, holde gående zacząć, podtrzymywać كار پيلول يا دوام وركول movimentar a întreţine (o conversaţie) поддерживать разговор rozbehnúť, rozprúdiť začeti pogovor pokrenuti sätta (hålla) i gång เริ่มการสนทนา başlamak, açmak 打開話題，讓話題持續 почати, підтримати якусь справу جاری رکھنا giữ cho câu chuyện hoặc công việc không bị gián đoạn 开始活动（指谈话），不使活动（谈话）中断 Preparing the Footballs for NFL Games | NFL Football Operations". operations.nfl.com. 2015-08-10 . Retrieved 2023-11-01. Ball" is used metaphorically sometimes to denote something spherical or spheroid, e.g., armadillos and human beings curl up into a ball, making a fist into a ball. As balls are one of the most familiar spherical objects to humans, the word "ball" may refer to or describe spherical or near-spherical objects. LaCombe, Ronnie. "How much air can fit in a basketball?". Columbia Daily Tribune . Retrieved 2023-11-02.

Although many types of balls are today made from rubber, this form was unknown outside the Americas until after the voyages of Columbus. The Spanish were the first Europeans to see the bouncing rubber balls (although solid and not inflated) which were employed most notably in the Mesoamerican ballgame. Balls used in various sports in other parts of the world prior to Columbus were made from other materials such as animal bladders or skins, stuffed with various materials. A ball, as the essential feature in many forms of gameplay requiring physical exertion, must date from the very earliest times. A rolling object appeals not only to a human baby, but to a kitten and a puppy. Some form of game with a ball is found portrayed on Egyptian monuments. [ citation needed] In Homer, Nausicaa was playing at ball with her maidens when Odysseus first saw her in the land of the Phaeacians (Od. vi. 100). And Halios and Laodamas performed before Alcinous and Odysseus with ball play, accompanied with dancing (Od. viii. 370). [4] The most ancient balls in Eurasia have been discovered in Karasahr, China and are 3.000 years old. They were made of hair-filled leather. [5] Ancient GreeksCode of Federal Regulations: 1985-1999". U.S. General Services Administration, National Archives and Records Service, Office of the Federal Register. 5 November 1999. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017 . Retrieved 5 November 2017– via Google Books.