boll

boll
boll O.E. bolla "bowl, cup, pot," merged with M.Du. bolle "round object," borrowed 13c., both from P.Gmc. *bul-, from PIE *bhel- (2) "to blow, inflate, swell" (see BOLE (Cf. bole)). Influenced in meaning by L. bulla "bubble, ball," ultimately from the same PIE root. Extended c.1500 to "round seed pod of flax or cotton." Boll weevil is 1895, Amer.Eng.
In south Texas, among Spanish-speaking people, the insect is generally known as the 'picudo,' a descriptive name which refers to the snout or beak of the insect. English-speaking planters generally referred to the insect at first as 'the sharpshooter,' a term which for many years has been applied to any insect which causes through its punctures the shedding of the squares or the rotting of the bolls. As there are several native insects that are commonly called sharpshooters and which, though injurious, are by no means to be compared with this insect, it becomes necessary to discourage in every way the use of the word sharpshooter as applied to this weevil. The adoption of the term 'Mexican cotton-boll weevil' for the new pest is recommended. [New Mexico College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin No. 19, April 1896]
A case of entomology meddling in etymology.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?
Synonyms:
, ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • Boll — ist der Name folgender Orte: in Deutschland: Bad Boll im Landkreis Göppingen mit dem Bahnhof Boll Boll (Hechingen) in Hechingen im Zollernalbkreis Boll (Sauldorf) in Sauldorf im Landkreis Sigmaringen Boll (Oberndorf am Neckar) in Oberndorf am… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • BÖLL (H.) — Écrivain et citoyen allemand «à part entière», Heinrich Böll a reçu pour son œuvre abondante, traduite en trente cinq langues, de nombreux prix (dont le prix du Groupe 47, le prix Büchner, le prix de la Tribune de Paris et le prix Nobel de… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Boll — or Böll is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Buzz Boll, Canadian ice hockey player * Fabian Boll, German football player * Franz Boll, German historian of astrology * Franz Christian Boll (1849 1879), discoverer of… …   Wikipedia

  • Böll — Boll Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Boll est un patronyme d origine germanique, porté par les personnalités suivantes : André Boll (1896 1983), un architecte et décorateur français …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Böll — ist der Name folgender Personen: Annemarie Böll (1910–2004), deutsche Übersetzerin Christoph Böll (* 1949), deutscher Filmemacher Heinrich Böll (1917–1985), deutscher Schriftsteller und Literatur Nobelpreisträger Nicolas Böll (* 1965), deutscher… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Boll — Boll, n. [OE. bolle boll, bowl, AS. bolla. See {Bowl} a vessel.] 1. The pod or capsule of a plant, as of flax or cotton; a pericarp of a globular form. [1913 Webster] 2. A Scotch measure, formerly in use: for wheat and beans it contained four… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Boll — * Boll, adj. et adv. welches nur im gemeinen Leben gebräuchlich ist, und hart, steif, ungeschmeidig bedeutet, vornehmlich aber von solchen Sachen gebraucht wird, welche gewöhnlich geschmeidig sind. So nennen die Gärber das Leder, welches zu lange …   Grammatisch-kritisches Wörterbuch der Hochdeutschen Mundart

  • Boll — Boll, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Bolled}.] To form a boll or seed vessel; to go to seed. [1913 Webster] The barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled. Ex. ix. 31. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Boll KG — is Uwe Boll s personal production company, it was founded in 2002.Films* Blackwoods (2002) * House of the Dead (2003) * Heart of America (2004) * Alone in the Dark (2005) * Benazir Bhutto Tochter der Macht (2005) * The Cabin Movie (2005) *… …   Wikipedia

  • boll — [bōl] n. [ME bolle, boll, BOWL1] the roundish seed pod of a plant, esp. of cotton or flax …   English World dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”