boll

Definition

The rounded seed-bearing capsule of a cotton or flax plant.

Etymology

From Middle English bolle (“pod; shell”) and Middle Dutch bolle (“round object”); both ultimately from Proto-Germanic *bullô (“round object; bowl”). More at bowl.

Example Sentences

• "Sometimes the slave picks down one side of a row, and back upon the other, but more usually, there is one on either side, gathering all that has blossomed, leaving the unopened bolls for a succeeding picking."
• "The champion picker of the day before was the hero of the dawn. If he prophesied that the cotton in today’s field was going to be sparse and stick to the bolls like glue, every listener would grunt a hearty agreement."
• "I ſowed on this Ground, without any Dung or Manure, a Lippy of Oats, from which I had a Boll wanting a Chopin."