bollard

English

Two bollards (1)
Concrete bollards (2) segregating a pedestrian area from a roadway

Etymology

From Middle English bollard, probably from Middle English bole (tree trunk), equivalent to bole + -ard (pejorative or diminutive suffix).

Pronunciation

  • (rhotic) IPA(key): /ˈbɒləɹd/
  • (non-rhotic) IPA(key): /ˈbɒlɑːd/, /ˈbɒləd/
  • (file)
  • (file)
  • Rhymes: -ɒlə(ɹ)d

Noun

bollard (plural bollards)

  1. (nautical) 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. A bitt.
    • 1959, Mervyn Peake, Titus Alone:
      Today he had for bollard the unfinished monument half-erected to some all but forgotten anarchist.
    • 1965, Poul Anderson, The Star Fox:
      He sat on a bollard, looking out across the water, a man more small and shabby than expected.
  2. A similar post preventing vehicle access to a pedestrian area, to delineate traffic lanes, or used for security purposes.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

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