Etymologically
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boule

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Pronunciation

Forms

boule f (plural boules)[1] Old French bole (about 1175); boule from 1330–1332.[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French bole, inherited from Latin bulla (“bubble; knob, round object”),[2][4][5][6] taken by word of mouth, while the learned bulle was borrowed later.[2][1] Rey calls “bulla” an expressive word suggesting a round shape, perhaps of imitative origin.[2] Wiktionary also mentions Frankish *bollā (“ball, bowl”), which would make it a doublet of bol.[1]

Cognate with Old Occitan bola, Catalan bola, Spanish bola, Portuguese bola and Romanian bulă.[4][7][8] English boule is borrowed from French.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Roman de Renart (about 1175) has bole in the sense “club, cudgel”.[3][2]

Semantic evolution

The idea of a round knob, as in “club” and the boule of a seal (1294, later bulle), was lost before the 16th century, Old French also had mie une bole “not the least thing” (1258).[2][3] The general sense “sphere, round object” (1330–1332) now covers the whole word.[2] From Old French on it named the ball used in games, whence les boules (fashionable in the 17th century) and la boule lyonnaise, of which pétanque is a southern variety, la boule was also a game of chance like roulette (1763).[2][9] Boules blanches, noires were used in voting.[2][10]

As a familiar word for the head (1798) it gave perdre la boule (1819) and coup de boule (1892).[2][9] Other phrases include boule de neige, boule puante (1890) and mystère et boule de gomme, avoir les boules (about 1980) arose in schoolchildren's slang.[2] In Quebec boule is used where France says balle, and in Africa it is a ball of starchy paste eaten with sauce.[2]

Timeline

  • c. 1175 – Bole “club” in the Roman de Renart.[3]
  • 1258 – Mie une bole “not a jot”.[2]
  • 1294 – The boule of a seal.[2]
  • 1330–1332 – Boule “sphere”.[3]
  • 1347 – Boulet.[4]
  • 1557 – Bouleverser.[4]
  • 1763 – A game of chance.[9]
  • 1798 – “Head”.[2]
  • 1819 – Perdre la boule.[9]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A ball, sphere: boule de neige, boule de cristal, se mettre en boule: to curl up.[7][11]
  2. A bowl, (plural) bowls, boules, pétanque: jouer aux boules.[1][2]
  3. A scoop (of ice cream).[1][7]
  4. (familiar) The head: perdre la boule: to go mad, coup de boule: headbutt.[2][1]
  5. (familiar) Avoir les boules: to be fed up; to be scared.[2][1]
  6. Boule de gomme: gumdrop, mystère et boule de gomme: it's a mystery.[12][2]
  7. (Belgium) A boiled sweet.[11]

Word family

  • boulette
  • bouleverser
  • bouliste
  • bouler
  • boulet
  • boulon
  • abouler
  • bouleversement
  • débouler
  • bulle
  • bouillir
  • Latin bulla
  • English boule

Usage notes

Two minor homographs: boule (masculine), the marquetry of the cabinetmaker André-Charles Boulle (1642–1732), from his name;[4] and slang boule “backside”, borrowed from Romani bul.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  4. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 1, 607b
  7. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  9. ^ a b c d Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  10. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  11. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  12. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)