DEFINITIONS
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boule

1
[ bool ]
/ bul /

noun

Also called birne. a cylindrical lump of material for synthetic gems, made by the Verneuil process.
a metal ball, usually made out of steel, used in pétanque.
Sometimes boules. pétanque.

Words nearby boule

boulder, boulder canyon, boulder clay, boulder dam, bouldering, boule, boules, bouleuterion, boulevard, boulevardier, bouleversement

Origin of boule

1
1915–20; < French: literally, a ball; see bowl2

Definition for boules (2 of 4)

boule2
[ bool ]
/ bul /

noun (often initial capital letter) Furniture.

buhl.
Also called boule·work [bool-wurk] /ˈbulˌwɜrk/.

Definition for boules (3 of 4)

Boule
[ boo-lee, boo-ley ]
/ ˈbu li, buˈleɪ /

noun

the legislative assembly of modern Greece.
(sometimes lowercase) a state legislative, advisory, or administrative council in ancient Greece.

Origin of Boule

1840–50; < Greek: a council, body of chosen ones

Definition for boules (4 of 4)

buhl

or boule, boulle

[ bool ]
/ bul /

noun (often initial capital letter)

elaborate inlaid work of woods, metals, tortoiseshell, ivory, etc.

Origin of buhl

1815–25; from Germanized form of French boulle or boule, named after A. C. Boulle or Boule (1642–1732), French cabinetmaker
Also called buhl·work [bool-wurk] /ˈbulˌwɜrk/, boulework, boullework.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for boules

British Dictionary definitions for boules (1 of 5)

boules
/ French (bul) /

pl n

(functioning as singular) a game, popular in France, in which metal bowls are thrown to land as near as possible to a target ball. It is played on rough surfaces

Word Origin for boules

plural of boule ball 1; see bowl ²

British Dictionary definitions for boules (2 of 5)

boule1
/ (ˈbuːliː) /

noun

the parliament in modern Greece
the senate of an ancient Greek city-state

Word Origin for boule

C19: from Greek boulē senate

British Dictionary definitions for boules (3 of 5)

boule2
/ (buːl) /

noun

a pear-shaped imitation ruby, sapphire, etc, made from synthetic corundum

Word Origin for boule

C19: from French: ball

British Dictionary definitions for boules (4 of 5)

boule3
/ (buːl) /

noun

a round loaf of white bread

Word Origin for boule

C20: from French: a ball

British Dictionary definitions for boules (5 of 5)

buhl
/ (buːl) /

adjective, noun

the usual US spelling of boulle
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