Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

bolus

[boh-luh s]
See more synonyms for bolus on Thesaurus.com
noun, plural bo·lus·es.
  1. Pharmacology, Veterinary Medicine. a round mass of medicinal material, larger than an ordinary pill. Abbreviation: bol.
  2. a soft, roundish mass or lump, especially of chewed food.
  3. bole2.
Show More

Origin of bolus

1595–1605; < Late Latin bōlus clod of earth < Greek bôlos clod, lump; see bole2
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

medicine, tablet, dose, pellet, pill, bullet, lozenge, bolus, troche, cap, food, chew, rumen, quid, stone, ball, shot, wad, mass, rock

Examples from the Web for bolus

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

British Dictionary definitions for bolus

bolus

noun plural -luses
  1. a small round soft mass, esp of chewed food
  2. an intravenous injection of a single dose of a drug over a short period
  3. obsolete a large pill or tablet used in veterinary and clinical medicine
  4. another word for bole 2
Show More

Word Origin

C17: from New Latin, from Greek bōlos clod, lump
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
bolus in Medicine

bolus

(bō′ləs)
n. pl. bo•lus•es
  1. A round mass.
  2. A single, relatively large dose of a drug that is administered for therapeutic purposes and taken orally.
  3. A concentrated mass of a pharmaceutical substance administered intravenously for therapeutic or diagnostic purposes.
  4. A soft mass of chewed food within the mouth or alimentary canal.
Show More
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.