bole

[bohl]

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noun Botany.

the stem or trunk of a tree.

Origin of bole

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

bole

[bohl]

noun

any of a variety of soft, unctuous clays of various colors, used as pigments.

a medium red-brown color made from such clay.

Also bolus.

Origin of bole

1350–1400; Middle English bol < Late Latin bōlus lump; see bolus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for bole

chunk, wood, piece, timber, stalk, stem, torso, mud, brick, earth, length, stick, trunk, block, driftwood, log, column, butt, stock, soma

Examples from the Web for bole

Historical Examples of bole

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 Call Of The South
Louis Becke
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.
Nan Sherwood at Pine Camp
Annie Roe Carr

British Dictionary definitions for bole

bole

noun

the trunk of a tree

Word Origin for bole

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

bole

bolus

noun

a reddish soft variety of clay used as a pigment

a moderate reddish-brown colour

Word Origin for bole

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

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").