bollard

Definition

A strong vertical post of timber or iron, fixed to the ground and/or on the deck of a ship, to which the ship's mooring lines etc are secured.

Etymology

From Middle English bollard, probably from Middle English bole (“tree trunk”), from Old Norse bolr (“stump, trunk”), equivalent to bole + -ard (pejorative or diminutive suffix).

Example Sentences

• "Today he had for bollard the unfinished monument half-erected to some all but forgotten anarchist."
• "He sat on a bollard, looking out across the water, a man more small and shabby than expected."

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