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.

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Origin of boule

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

Words nearby boule

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

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.
Also called buhl·work [bool-wurk] /ˈbulˌwɜrk/, boulework, boullework.

Origin of buhl

1815–25; from Germanized form of French boulle or boule, named after A. C. Boulle or Boule (1642–1732), French cabinetmaker
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences 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