boulder

¹

or bowl·der

[ bohl-der ]

noun

1. a detached and rounded or worn rock, especially a large one.

Boulder

²

[ bohl-der ]

noun

1. a city in N Colorado.

boulder

/ ˈbəʊldə /

noun

1. a smooth rounded mass of rock that has a diameter greater than 25cm and that has been shaped by erosion and transported by ice or water from its original position
2. geology a rock fragment with a diameter greater than 256 mm and thus bigger than a cobble

Derived Forms

• ˈbouldery, adjective

Other Words From

• bouldered adjective
• boulder·y adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of boulder¹

1610–20; short for boulder stone; Middle English bulderston < Scandinavian; compare dialectal Swedish bullersten big stone (in a stream), equivalent to buller rumbling noise (< Old Swedish bulder ) + sten stone

Word History and Origins

Origin of boulder¹

C13: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Swedish dialect bullersten , from Old Swedish bulder rumbling + sten stone

Example Sentences

"Fire services told us last night that there were loose boulders up on the site that could possibly fall."

From BBC

Upstream, a glacial lake had formed, then suddenly burst - sending water, boulders and debris cascading down the valley and gathering speed.

From BBC

The best part of the property is the neighboring trail among boulders, where someone long ago carved and painted all sort of faces and creatures.

From Los Angeles Times

A young woman spent hours trapped upside down after slipping between two boulders as she tried to retrieve her mobile phone during a hike in Australia.

From BBC

It takes a moment, but olagbaju’s gesture of first blessing, then touching a seemingly immovable boulder shifts your perspective, and that might be enough to generate at least incremental change.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• hunk
• ingot
• lump
• piece
• plate
• rod
• slice
• stone
• strip
• wedge