Bolus
/ˈbəʊləs/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A round mass of something, especially of chewed food in the mouth or alimentary canal.
- 2 a large pill; used especially in veterinary medicine wordnet
- 3 A single, large dose of a drug, especially one in that form.
"I gave him a bolus, twice the size of a gooseberry."
- 4 a small round soft mass (as of chewed food) wordnet
Verb
- 1 To administer (a drug) in bolus dosing, that is, dosing in (one or more) boluses. transitive
- 2 To take a bolus (dose) of insulin at a mealtime in order to control one's blood glucose level in diabetes. intransitive
Example
More examples"When you're chewing something you're eating, it gets mushed into a mass called a bolus, which you then swallow."
Etymology
From Late Latin bōlus (“clod of earth, lump”), plural bōlī, from Ancient Greek βῶλος (bôlos, “clod, lump”). Doublet of bole.