Boln
adj, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 To swell; to puff. obsolete
"and when the great raines or water cometh and ſinketh thorow the gravell, and cometh to the earth, then the earth ſwelleth and bolneth, and waxeth ſoft, and with treading, and eſpecially with carriage, the gravel ſinketh and goeth downwards; […]"
- 1 Swollen; puffed out. obsolete
"The Riuer, as running along the ſide of the City; in a skinne made like fleſh, naked, and blevv. His mantle of ſea-greene or vvater colour, thinne, and bolne out like a ſayle; […]"
Example
More examples"The Riuer, as running along the ſide of the City; in a skinne made like fleſh, naked, and blevv. His mantle of ſea-greene or vvater colour, thinne, and bolne out like a ſayle; […]"
Etymology
From Middle English bolnen, bollen, from Old Norse bólgna, from bolginn (“swollen”), past participle of a verb represented by Old English belgan (“to swell”). Compare Swedish bulna (“to swell, be swollen”), Danish bolne (“to swell, be swollen”). Related to belly, bellows.
More for "boln"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.