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bola

[boh-luh]
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noun, plural bo·las [boh-luh z] /ˈboʊ ləz/.
  1. Also bolas. a weapon consisting of two or more heavy balls secured to the ends of one or more strong cords, hurled by the Indians and gauchos of southern South America to entangle the legs of cattle and other animals.
  2. bolo tie.
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Origin of bola

1835–45; < Spanish: ball < Old Provençal < Latin bulla bubble, knob; see boil1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

bladeknifesickleropesnarebolahalterbolo

Examples from the Web for bola

Historical Examples

  • Bola, and in the box on our right a man and a woman who had not taken off their masks.

    The Memoires of Casanova, Complete

    Jacques Casanova de Seingalt

  • But to the bola there is no cord attached, nor mark of where one has ever been.

  • Because, so far as is known to me, no other Chaco Indians but they use the bola perdida.

  • Son of Mem Loimis, you will be a bola heris; you will be a great gambler.

  • It is also suggested that the name is derived from bola (anklets), as the women wear heavy brass anklets.

British Dictionary definitions for bola

bola

bolas (ˈbəʊləs)

noun plural -las or -lases
  1. a missile used by gauchos and Indians of South America, consisting of two or more heavy balls on a cord. It is hurled at a running quarry, such as an ox or rhea, so as to entangle its legs
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Word Origin

Spanish: ball, from Latin bulla knob
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012