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Bolt

//boʊlt// adv, name, noun, verb

Definitions

Adverb

1
Suddenly; straight; unbendingly. not-comparable
"The soldiers stood bolt upright for inspection."

Adverb

1
in a rigid manner wordnet
2
directly wordnet

Proper Noun

1
A surname transferred from the nickname. countable, uncountable
2
A census-designated place in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States, named after an early postmaster. countable, uncountable
3
An unincorporated community in the town of Franklin, Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, United States. countable, uncountable

Noun

1
A (usually) metal fastener consisting of a cylindrical body that is threaded, with a larger head on one end. It can be inserted into an unthreaded hole up to the head, with a nut then threaded on the other end; a heavy machine screw.
2
A sieve, especially a long fine sieve used in milling for bolting flour and meal; a bolter.
"The combination, in a flour bolt, of a reel head having a throat near its outer edge for the passage of the tailings and a series of revolving adjustable beaters, substantially as set forth."
3
a sudden abandonment (as from a political party) wordnet
4
A sliding pin or bar in a lock or latch mechanism.
"There was the noise of a bolt shot back, and the door opened a few inches, enough to show a long snout and a pair of sleepy blinking eyes."
5
the act of moving with great haste wordnet

Show 18 more definitions

6
A bar of wood or metal dropped in horizontal hooks on a door and adjoining wall or between the two sides of a double door, to prevent the door(s) from being forced open.
7
a screw that screws into a nut to form a fastener wordnet
8
A sliding mechanism to chamber and unchamber a cartridge in a firearm.
9
the part of a lock that is engaged or withdrawn with a key wordnet
10
A small personal-armour-piercing missile for short-range use, or (in common usage though deprecated by experts) a short arrow, intended to be shot from a crossbow or a catapult.
11
a sliding bar in a breech-loading firearm that ejects an empty cartridge and replaces it and closes the breech wordnet
12
A lightning spark, i.e., a lightning bolt.
"He had seen lightning bolts yesterday night."
13
a roll of cloth or wallpaper of a definite length wordnet
14
A sudden event, action or emotion.
"The problem's solution struck him like a bolt from the blue."
15
a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder wordnet
16
A large roll of fabric or similar material, as a bolt of cloth.
"Mr. Cole, Basket-maker...has lost near 300 boults of rods"
17
A large roll of fabric or similar material, as a bolt of cloth.; The standard linear measurement of canvas for use at sea: 39 yards.
18
A sudden spring or start; a sudden leap aside.
"The horse made a bolt."
19
A sudden flight, as to escape creditors.
"This gentleman was so hopelessly involved that he contemplated a bolt to America — or anywhere."
20
A refusal to support a nomination made by the party with which one has been connected; a breaking away from one's party. US
21
An iron to fasten the legs of a prisoner; a shackle; a fetter.
"He shall to prison, and there die in boults."
22
A burst of speed or efficiency.
"In the event they lacked a proper midfield bolt, with Toni Kroos and Sami Khedira huffing around in pursuit of the whizzing green machine. The centre-backs looked flustered, left to deal with three on two as Mexico broke. Löw’s 4-2-3-1 seemed antiquated and creaky, with the old World Cup shark Thomas Müller flat-footed in a wide position."
23
A stalk or scape (of garlic, onion, etc).
"All kinds of vegetables may be used as a topping, but the best are strongly flavoured ones without too much moisture, such as celery, garlic bolts, chives, scallions, or various beans (long beans, green beans etc.) ..."

Verb

1
To connect or assemble pieces using a bolt. transitive
"Bolt the vice to the bench."
2
To sift, especially through a cloth.
3
make or roll into bolts wordnet
4
To affix in a crude or unnatural manner. figuratively, transitive
"Most languages are *not* based on C++. C++ is a complicated mess. It's C with object oriented features bolted on as an afterthought and no-one in their right mind would want to base another language on it."
5
To sift the bran and germ from wheat flour.
"Graham flour is unbolted flour; in contrast, some other flours have been bolted."

Show 18 more definitions

6
eat hastily without proper chewing wordnet
7
To secure a door by locking or barring it. transitive
"Bolt the door."
8
To separate, assort, refine, or purify by other means.
"ill schooled in bolted language"
9
swallow hastily wordnet
10
To flee, to depart, to accelerate away suddenly. intransitive
"Seeing the snake, the horse bolted."
11
To discuss or argue privately, and for practice, as cases at law.
"[…]the old habits of mooting or bolting caſes (i.e. of public disputations), might make the ſtudent more ſubtle and acute"
12
secure or lock with a bolt wordnet
13
To escape. intransitive
14
move or jump suddenly wordnet
15
To cause to start or spring forth; to dislodge (an animal being hunted). transitive
"to bolt a rabbit"
16
leave suddenly and as if in a hurry wordnet
17
To strike or fall suddenly like a bolt.
"His cloudleſs thunder bolted on thir heads."
18
run away; usually includes taking something or somebody along wordnet
19
To produce flower stalks and flowers or seeds quickly or prematurely; to form a bolt (stalk or scape); to go to seed. intransitive
"Lettuce and spinach will bolt as the weather warms up."
20
To swallow food without chewing it. transitive
"Though amid all the smoking horror and diabolism of a sea-fight, sharks will be seen longingly gazing up to the ship’s decks, like hungry dogs round a table where red meat is being carved, ready to bolt down every killed man that is tossed to them;"
21
To drink one's drink very quickly; to down a drink. transitive
"Come on, everyone, bolt your drinks; I want to go to the next pub!"
22
To refuse to support a nomination made by a party or caucus with which one has been connected; to break away from a party. US
"John Silber charged that people who bolted the Democratic Party in this election are "Kamakaze ^([sic]) liberals", beneath contempt and clearly too stupid to deserve to vote."
23
To utter precipitately; to blurt or throw out.
"I hate when vice can bolt her arguments."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English bolt, from Old English bolt, from Proto-West Germanic *bolt, from Proto-Germanic *bultaz, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeld- (“to knock, strike”). Compare Lithuanian beldu (“I knock”), baldas (“pole for striking”). Akin to Dutch and West Frisian bout, German Bolz or Bolzen, Danish bolt, Swedish bult, Icelandic bolti.

Etymology 2

Etymology 3

Etymology 4

From Middle English bulten, from Anglo-Norman buleter, Old French bulter (modern French bluter), from a Germanic source originally meaning "bag, pouch" cognate with Middle High German biuteln (“to sift”), from Proto-Germanic *buzdô (“beetle, grub, swelling”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰūs- (“to move quickly”). Cognate with Dutch buidel.

Etymology 5

Etymology 6

* As an English surname, from the noun bolt, for a maker of bolts, or a nickname for a short and heavy person. * Also as an English surname, variant of Bold. * As a Dutch, north/Low German and Danish surname, from the old Germanic name Baldo, derived from the adjective bold and related to the above. Compare Boldt.

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