Make Your Point: BOLLARD

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pronounce BOLLARD:

BALL urd

Hear it.

connect this word to others:

This scene from Community cracks me up:

(Source)

Sgt Nunez: "Somebody broke that thing that comes down from the parking booth. You know the thing that comes down, keeps the... cars from coming in. The thing... It's like a gate... but it's just a stick. Comes down, from a hinge. Keeps the cars out... Goes up and down 90 degrees..."

Chang: "The arm?"

Yup, that's just called an arm. Sgt. Nunez was even gesturing with his arm.

I totally understand his struggle. It's so annoying when you can't remember what some thingamabob is called, or when you don't even know its proper name.

Like the brown pole things below. You know, the ones that stop (most) people from crashing into 7-Elevens. Surely they have a more specific name than poles or posts, right?

Oh, yes. I'm delighted to report that they're called bollards.

(Source)

See if you can recall some more ultra-specific words for objects:

1. A rim, edge, or frame around something, usually one that's sloping or angled, and especially one that's on a blade, a gem, a screen, or a watch face, is called a __z__.

2. An arrangement of five things, with one at each corner of a square or rectangle, and one in the middle, is called a qu____nx.

3. A decorative flourish or embellishment like in the art below, one that seems to flow with many graceful lines, is called an ar____que.

(Source)

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

We're not sure where the word "bollard" comes from—possibly from the word "bole," an old one meaning "tree trunk"—but it's been around in English since at least 1844.

A bollard is a short, strong, sturdy, permanent post.

It's used to tie up boats to the shore, or used to block off traffic. The ones for boats can be either on the boats themselves or on the shore. And the ones for blocking traffic usually come in rows.

If you like, you can get figurative and refer to something as a bollard when you mean it's something strong and steady that provides or maintains a safe boundary or a secure connection.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Noun, the countable kind: "Kids are always climbing onto the bollards outside Target."

Other forms:

The plural is "bollards." And you can use "bollard" loosely like an adjective: "a bollard light," "some bollard timber."

how to use it:

"Bollard" is a rare word, but delightfully specific and pretty easy to understand in context.

We pretty much always use it literally: "His rope lashed itself loose from the bollard (Philip Pullman);" "Dozens of bollards... tackle inconsiderate parking outside a school (BBC)."

But if you're an adventurous, seafaring kind of wordsmith, feel free to use it figuratively. Here's a simile from Robert Fitzgerald's translation of the Odyssey: "Look at his leg muscles and his forearms. / Neck like a bollard; strong as a bull." Let's make it a metaphor, too: "In the wild, noisy, extroverted world, I find myself gripping the bollard of silence."

examples:

"They have to be quality bollards or they won't stop the car — which is what happened when a truck crashed into a Dollar Tree in Maine."
— Staff, The Hustle, 13 February 2023

"The white bollards near the water's edge glimmered in the light of two lamps on high posts."
— J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, 1954

has this page helped you understand "bollard"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "bollard" without saying "pole that blocks cars" or "post that moors ships."

try it out:

Lisa Benton-Short noted:

"On Jan. 20, 2005, at his second inauguration, President George W. Bush took his second oath of office and delivered a speech that forcefully enunciated the principles of extending democracy, freedom and liberty throughout the world. Ironically, this event took place amidst bollards, barriers, sentry boxes, more than 13,000 soldiers and police officers, and miles of security fences."

Can you explain what she means? Why does she say that it's ironic to discuss liberty from behind bollards? Do you agree with her observation? Why or why not?

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for May is "The Rock & Roll Hall of Game."

It's inspired by a Jeopardy! category called Foodstock.

I'll give you a clue, and you'll try to come up with the tweaked name of a group or solo artist from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

For example, if I give you "They're an American boy band fond of surfing, California, rich vocal harmonies, and helping the Mario Brothers rescue the princess," then you give me "The Peach Boys" (a playful blend of "The Beach Boys" and "Princess Peach" from the Mario games).

Try this one today: You've heard it through the grapevine that this American family band has been busy for decades producing iconic soul hits, like "Midnight Train to Georgia," all while raking it in at the poker table.

To see the answer, scroll all the way down!

review this word:

1. Figuratively speaking, the opposite of BOLLARDS could be

A. WARM SMILES.
B. SHIFTING SANDS.
C. PILLARS OF THE COMMUNITY.

2. The New York Times reflected, "Headlines and official plans after Sept. 11 were fixated on bollards and _____."

A. rhetoric
B. employees
C. checkpoints

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
  36 ways to study words.
  Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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