boccie

American  

[boch-ee] / ˈbɒtʃ i /

Italian bocci

noun

1. an Italian variety of lawn bowling played on a dirt court that is shorter and narrower than the rink of a bowling green.

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boccie British  

/ ˈbɒtʃə, ˈbɒtʃiː /

noun

1. an Italian version of bowls played on a lawn smaller than a bowling green

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Etymology

Origin of boccie

1900–05; < Italian bocce bowls, plural of boccia ball < Vulgar Latin *bottia round body

Example Sentences

There will be outdoor lounges, children's play areas and boccie ball courts.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 21, 2015

For break time, there’s a putting green and a boccie ball court on the property.

From BusinessWeek • Jan. 22, 2015

Casey, who traveled from New York City to attend the service, recalled the large get-togethers where Lodato’s extended family would serve homemade pasta and play boccie.

From Washington Post • Feb. 16, 2014

It’ll make you wander over to the outdoor boccie court happy and ready to work it off.

From New York Times • May 6, 2011

They lived now in the Bronx, in a one-bedroom apartment in a redbrick building on Tremont Avenue, next to an Italian beer garden where the old men played boccie on summer evenings.

From "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom