bollard

[bol-erd]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bollard ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Nautical.

a thick, low post, usually of iron or steel, mounted on a wharf or the like, to which mooring lines from vessels are attached.
a small post to which lines are attached.
bitt(def 1).

British. one of a series of short posts for excluding or diverting motor vehicles from a road, lawn, or the like.

Origin of bollard

First recorded in 1835–45; bole¹ + -ard

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

Related Words for bollard

wedge, batten, support, metal, wood, bit, spur, block, bollard, chock

Examples from the Web for bollard

Contemporary Examples of bollard

Carey veered past a bollard, finally crashing into a barricade not far from a guard booth.
What Pushed Miriam Carey to a Capitol Hill Tragedy?
Michael Daly
October 4, 2013

Historical Examples of bollard

He was propped against a bollard and he was in his shore-going clothes.
The Beach of Dreams
H. De Vere Stacpoole
One of the polemen jumped ashore, securing a line to a bollard.
Millennium
Everett B. Cole
“That will show that some one is not far off,” observed Mr Bollard.
The Voyages of the Ranger and Crusader
W.H.G. Kingston
“Call Mr Bollard, and we will see about it,” said Harry, springing to his feet.
The Voyages of the Ranger and Crusader
W.H.G. Kingston
Bollard remarked that he was afraid all the other boats had gone down.
The Voyages of the Ranger and Crusader
W.H.G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for bollard

bollard

noun

a strong wooden or metal post mounted on a wharf, quay, etc, used for securing mooring lines

British a small post or marker placed on a kerb or traffic island to make it conspicuous to motorists

mountaineering an outcrop of rock or pillar of ice that may be used to belay a rope

Word Origin for bollard

C14: perhaps from bole 1 + -ard

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 bollard

1844, originally a post for fixing mooring ropes; since 1948, usually a traffic control device; probably from bole + suffix -ard.