Boll
a rounded seed vessel or pod of a plant, as of flax or cotton.
Heinrich (Theodor)
[hahyn-rikh tey-aw-dohr] /ˈhaɪn rɪx ˈteɪ ɔˌdoʊr/ (Show IPA), 1917–85, German novelist and short-story writer: Nobel Prize 1972.
Contemporary Examples
Growth Stocks The Daily Beast October 16, 2014
Historical Examples
The Bishop of Cottontown John Trotwood Moore
The Fabric of Civilization Anonymous
The Galaxy, April, 1877 Various
Textiles William H. Dooley
How to Prosper in Boll Weevil Territory G. H. Alford
The Proverbs of Scotland Alexander Hislop
The Abbot Sir Walter Scott
The American Country Girl Martha Foote Crow
Agriculture for Beginners Charles William Burkett
noun
the fruit of such plants as flax and cotton, consisting of a rounded capsule containing the seeds
noun
Heinrich (ˈhaɪnrɪç) (Theodor). 1917–85, German novelist and short-story writer; his novels include Group Portrait with Lady (1971): Nobel prize for literature 1972
n.
In south Texas, among Spanish-speaking people, the insect is generally known as the ‘picudo,’ a descriptive name which refers to the snout or beak of the insect. English-speaking planters generally referred to the insect at first as ‘the sharpshooter,’ a term which for many years has been applied to any insect which causes through its punctures the shedding of the squares or the rotting of the bolls. As there are several native insects that are commonly called sharpshooters and which, though injurious, are by no means to be compared with this insect, it becomes necessary to discourage in every way the use of the word sharpshooter as applied to this weevil. The adoption of the term ‘Mexican cotton-boll weevil’ for the new pest is recommended. [New Mexico College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin No. 19, April 1896]
A case of entomology meddling in etymology.
boll
(bōl)
The seed-bearing capsule of certain plants, especially cotton and flax.
Read Also:
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- Bollworm
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Nautical. a thick, low post, usually of iron or steel, mounted on a wharf or the like, to which mooring lines from vessels are attached. a small post to which lines are attached. bitt (def 1). British. one of a series of short posts for excluding or diverting motor vehicles from a road, lawn, or […]