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bole1

[bohl]
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noun Botany.
  1. the stem or trunk of a tree.
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Origin of bole1

1275–1325; Middle English < Old Norse bolr trunk (of a tree), torso; see bulwark

bole2

[bohl]
noun
  1. any of a variety of soft, unctuous clays of various colors, used as pigments.
  2. a medium red-brown color made from such clay.
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Also bolus.

Origin of bole2

1350–1400; Middle English bol < Late Latin bōlus lump; see bolus
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for bole

Historical Examples

  • No tree has so fair a bole and so handsome an instep as the beech.

    The Atlantic Monthly, Vol. 10, No. 58, August, 1862

    Various

  • Steve took to the woods, and found sanctuary behind the bole of an oak.

    The Long Roll

    Mary Johnston

  • He was standing against the bole of a masa'oi tree, leaning on his rifle.

  • The dawn found them still sitting there against the bole of the beech-tree.

    Fraternity

    John Galsworthy

  • There was no fire at the foot of the tree, for she could see the base of the bole plainly.

British Dictionary definitions for bole

bole1

noun
  1. the trunk of a tree
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Word Origin

C14: from Old Norse bolr; related to Middle High German bole plank

bole2

bolus

noun
  1. a reddish soft variety of clay used as a pigment
  2. a moderate reddish-brown colour
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Word Origin

C13: from Late Latin bōlus lump, from Greek bōlos
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

Word Origin and History for bole

n.

early 14c., from Old Norse bolr "tree trunk," from Proto-Germanic *bulas (cf. Middle Dutch bolle "trunk of a tree"), from PIE *bhel- (2) "to blow, inflate, swell" (cf. Greek phyllon "leaf," phallos "swollen penis;" Latin flos "flower," florere "to blossom, flourish," folium "leaf;" Old Prussian balsinis "cushion;" Old Norse belgr "bag, bellows;" Old English bolla "pot, cup, bowl;" Old Irish bolgaim "I swell," blath "blossom, flower," bolach "pimple," bolg "bag;" Breton bolc'h "flax pod;" Serbian buljiti "to stare, be bug-eyed;" Serbo-Croatian blazina "pillow").

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper