boule

¹ American  

[bool] / bul /

noun

1. a round loaf of bread, usually with a crisp or chewy crust.

   Divide the dough into two portions, shape into batards or boules, and place in the refrigerator to rise overnight.

2. Also called birne.  a cylindrical lump of material for synthetic gems, made by the Verneuil process.

3. a metal ball, usually made out of steel, used in pétanque.

4. Sometimes boules. pétanque.

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boule ² American  

[bool] / bul /

noun

(often initial capital letter)

1. buhl.

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Boule ³ American  

[boo-lee, boo-ley] / ˈbu li, buˈleɪ /

noun

1. the legislative assembly of modern Greece.

2. (sometimes lowercase) a state legislative, advisory, or administrative council in ancient Greece.

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boule ¹ British  

/ ˈbuːliː /

noun

1. the parliament in modern Greece

2. the senate of an ancient Greek city-state

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boule ² British  

/ buːl /

noun

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

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boule ³ British  

/ buːl /

noun

1. a round loaf of white bread

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Etymology

Origin of boule¹

First recorded in 1915–20; from French: literally, “a ball”; bowl ²

Origin of Boule³

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

Example Sentences

The display also featured Dahl's personal set of boules, along with his own invention of a magnet on a string, which Dahl used for picking up each boule.

From BBC • Nov. 24, 2025

Creative director Ian Griffiths’ mood board included silken teddies, Belle Epoque’-inspired boule coats and photos of the French novelist Colette, whose spare style, the British designer said, inspired the collection’s simplicity.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 22, 2024

I often get asked whether a pan loaf recipe can be baked without the pan altogether: Can the dough simply be formed like a round boule or oblong batard and baked on a baking surface?

From Salon • Oct. 11, 2021

Two teams comprised of a mix of islanders and visitors compete to see which can throw a boule around the distance of the island’s only road in the fewest possible throws.

From The Guardian • Aug. 21, 2019

The poet Herrick favored: "Of Christmas sports, the wassell boule, That's tost up after Fox-i-th'-hole."

From Yule-Tide in Many Lands by Bridgman, L. J. (Lewis Jesse)