bole

¹

[ bohl ]

noun

, Botany.

1. the stem or trunk of a tree.

bole

²

[ bohl ]

noun

1. any of a variety of soft, unctuous clays of various colors, used as pigments.
2. a medium red-brown color made from such clay.

bole

¹

/ bəʊl /

noun

1. the trunk of a tree

bole

²

/ bəʊl /

noun

1. a reddish soft variety of clay used as a pigment
2. a moderate reddish-brown colour

Word History and Origins

Origin of bole¹

1275–1325; Middle English < Old Norse bolr trunk (of a tree), torso; bulwark

Origin of bole²

1350–1400; Middle English bol < Late Latin bōlus lump; bolus

Word History and Origins

Origin of bole¹

C14: from Old Norse bolr ; related to Middle High German bole plank

Origin of bole²

C13: from Late Latin bōlus lump, from Greek bōlos

Example Sentences

In a pleasant place, open yet sheltered by overhanging boughs, the hollow bole of a dead tree lay on the ground.

From Literature

NW96 is thought to predate 1580 because of a lead ingot cast from a furnace, known as a bole, which fell out of use around that time.

From BBC

With all of us dealing with a pandemic, chasing down the last bole of hand sanitizer and for some reason stocking up on toilet paper, you thought we forgot.

From Washington Times

At ground level, a full-sized tree would be ten feet through its bole, more than twenty feet around.

From Literature

It’s full of walls of bee boles, cobbles, and potting sheds: a beautiful monument to hard work, anonymous labor, and shattered innocence.

From The New Yorker

Related Words

• chunk
• piece
• timber
• wood