vol·ley

[vol-ee] noun, plural vol·leys, verb, vol·leyed, vol·ley·ing.
noun
1.
the simultaneous discharge of a number of missiles or firearms.
2.
the missiles so discharged.
3.
a burst or outpouring of many things at once or in quick succession: a volley of protests.
4.
Tennis.
a.
the flight of the ball before it hits the ground.
b.
the return of the ball before it hits the ground.
5.
Soccer. a kick of the ball before it bounces on the ground.
6.
Cricket. a ball so bowled that it hits the wicket before it touches the ground.
7.
Mining. the explosion of several charges at one time.
verb (used with object)
8.
to discharge in or as in a volley.
9.
Tennis. to return (the ball) before it hits the ground.
10.
Soccer. to kick (the ball) before it bounces on the ground.
11.
Cricket. to bowl (a ball) in such a manner that it is pitched near the top of the wicket.
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verb (used without object)
12.
to fly or be discharged together, as missiles.
13.
to move or proceed with great rapidity, as in a volley.
14.
to fire a volley; sound together, as firearms.
15.
Tennis, Soccer. to return the ball before it touches the ground.
Origin:
1565–75; < Middle French volee flight, noun use of feminine past participle of voler to fly < Latin volāre

Related forms
vol·ley·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
volley (ˈvɒlɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  the simultaneous discharge of several weapons, esp firearms
2.  the projectiles or missiles so discharged
3.  a burst of oaths, protests, etc, occurring simultaneously or in rapid succession
4.  sport Compare half volley a stroke, shot, or kick at a moving ball before it hits the ground
5.  cricket the flight of such a ball or the ball itself
6.  the simultaneous explosion of several blastings of rock
 
—vb
7.  to discharge (weapons, etc) in or as if in a volley or (of weapons, etc) to be discharged
8.  (tr) to utter vehemently or sound loudly and continuously
9.  (tr) sport to strike or kick (a moving ball) before it hits the ground
10.  (intr) to issue or move rapidly or indiscriminately
 
[C16: from French volée a flight, from voler to fly, from Latin volāre]
 
'volleyer
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

volley
1570s, "discharge of a number of guns at once," from M.Fr. volee "flight" (12c.), from V.L. *volta, fem. noun from L. volatum, pp. of volare "to fly." Sporting sense (originally in tennis) is from 1819 (v.), 1862 (n.), from notion of hitting the ball in flight.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

volley vol·ley (vŏl'ē)
n.
The bursting forth of many things together, such as a synchronous group of impulses induced simultaneously by artificial stimulation of either nerve fibers or muscle fibers.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Example sentences
The bullet marks that appear so ominously in the wall seconds before the fatal
  volley are round.
The word originally meant a canon shot or volley of musket fire.
The crackle of the rifle volley cut the suddenly still air.
But with every volley, the referee remained consistent.
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