boulder
Meaning
-
- A large mass of stone detached from the surrounding land.
- A particle greater than 256 mm in diameter, following the Wentworth scale
- A large marble, in children's games.
- A session of bouldering; involvement in bouldering.
Synonyms
large rock
large stone
stone slab
round stone
pudding stone
river boulder
shore boulder
stone block
lump of rock
large boulder
erratic boulder
plum stone
erratic block
Frequency
Pronounced as (IPA)
/ˈbəʊl.də(ɹ)/
Etymology
In summary
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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Notes