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Boulder

//ˈbəʊl.də(ɹ)// name, noun, verb

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A town in Western Australia, merged with Kalgoorlie in 1989 as the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.
  2. 2
    A home rule municipality, the county seat of Boulder County, Colorado, United States.
  3. 3
    An unincorporated community in Clinton County, Illinois, United States.
  4. 4
    A town, the county seat of Jefferson County, Montana, United States.
  5. 5
    A small town in Garfield County, Utah, United States.
Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    An unincorporated community in Barbour County, West Virginia, United States.
  2. 7
    A census-designated place in Sublette County, Wyoming, United States.
Noun
  1. 1
    A large mass of stone detached from the surrounding land.
  2. 2
    a large smooth mass of rock detached from its place of origin wordnet
  3. 3
    A particle greater than 256 mm in diameter, following the Wentworth scale
  4. 4
    A large marble, in children's games.

    "There were four sizes of marbles and we called them boulders, biggies, regulars, and teenies."

  5. 5
    A session of bouldering; involvement in bouldering.
Verb
  1. 1
    To engage in bouldering. ambitransitive

    "He bouldered a route in the same area with ease. Mitchell, 11, was hanging with the older kids in an area where bouldering nearly upside down seemed to be...."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From late Middle English bulder, short for Middle English bulder ston (“a stone that's been worn into a round shape, boulder, cobblestone”), possibly from Old Swedish *buldersten, itself possibly from Old Swedish bulder (“rumble, noise”) + sten (“stone”); whence dialectal Swedish bullersten (“large stone in a stream, causing water to roar around it”). The first element may alternatively be allied to Old Swedish bulle, bolle (“round drinking vessel, tumbler”), from Old Norse bolli, related to Old English bolla (“round object, bowl”), see English bowl.

Etymology 2

From late Middle English bulder, short for Middle English bulder ston (“a stone that's been worn into a round shape, boulder, cobblestone”), possibly from Old Swedish *buldersten, itself possibly from Old Swedish bulder (“rumble, noise”) + sten (“stone”); whence dialectal Swedish bullersten (“large stone in a stream, causing water to roar around it”). The first element may alternatively be allied to Old Swedish bulle, bolle (“round drinking vessel, tumbler”), from Old Norse bolli, related to Old English bolla (“round object, bowl”), see English bowl.

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