Where does “smallball” come from?

smallball (English) comes from English Ball, from Middle English bal, from Old English beall, from English beal, from Old English hyll, from Albanian hulli, from Proto-Germanic hulliz, from Proto-Indo-European kl̥Hnís — to rise, to be tall; hill.

smallball (English): A style of play that scores a large number of...

Definitions

  1. A style of play that scores a large number of...

Ancestry of “smallball”, step by step

smallball traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Ball

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishBallsurname
2Middle EnglishbalA ball; A rounded or spherical lump or bump,...
3Old Englishbeallball
4EnglishbealA small inflammatory tumor; pustule; To gather...
5Old Englishhyllhill
6Albanianhullifurrow
7Proto-Germanichullizhill
8Proto-Indo-Europeankl̥Hníshill
9Proto-Indo-EuropeankelH-to rise, to be tall; hill

via English Small

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishSmallNot large or big; insignificant; few in number
2Middle EnglishsmalSmall, miniscule; Little, few, scarce; Ground...
3Old Englishsmælnarrow, slim; not broad; slender; not thick;...
4Proto-West Germanicsmalsmall
5Proto-Germanicsmalazsmall
6Proto-Indo-European(s)mal-small; little
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kelH-