boule

[bool]

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.

Origin of boule

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

boule

[bool]

noun (often initial capital letter) Furniture.

buhl.

Also called boule·work

[bool-wurk] /ˈbulˌwɜrk/.

Boule

[boo-lee, boo-ley]

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

buhl

or boule, boulle

[bool]

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

Historical Examples of boules

As is well known, the rough material is formed in boules or pear-shaped drops under an inverted blowpipe.
A Text-Book of Precious Stones for Jewelers and the Gem-Loving Public
Frank Bertram Wade

British Dictionary definitions for boules

boules

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

boule

noun

the parliament in modern Greece

the senate of an ancient Greek city-state

Word Origin for boule

C19: from Greek boulē senate

boule

noun

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

Word Origin for boule

C19: from French: ball

boule

noun

a round loaf of white bread

Word Origin for boule

C20: from French: a ball

buhl

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