Bowl Definition

bōl

bowled, bowling, bowls

noun

bowls

A hemispherical vessel, wider than it is deep, used for holding food or fluids.

American Heritage

A deep, rounded container or dish, open at the top.

Webster's New World

The contents of such a vessel.

American Heritage

A bowl-shaped part, as of a spoon or pipe.

American Heritage

A drinking goblet.

American Heritage

Synonyms:

verb

bowled, bowling, bowls

To throw so as to make roll; roll.

Webster's New World

To participate or take a turn in bowling or lawn bowling.

Webster's New World

To roll a ball with an underhand motion, as in bowling or lawn bowling.

Webster's New World

To hurl a cricket ball from one end of the pitch toward the batsman at the other, keeping the arm straight throughout the delivery.

American Heritage

To cause to move along swiftly and smoothly, as on wheels.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

idiom

bowl over

to knock over with or as with something rolled
to astonish or amaze, thrill or delight, etc.
the election results bowled them over

Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Bowl

Singular:

bowl

Plural:

From Middle English bolle, from Old English bolla, bolle (“bowl, cup, pot, beaker, measure”), from Proto-Germanic *bullô, *bullǭ (“ball, round vessel, bowl”), from Proto-Indo-European *bhl-, from Proto-Indo-European *bhel- (“to blow, inflate, swell, bubble”). Cognate with North Frisian bol (“bun, bread roll”), Middle Low German bolle, bole (“round object”), Dutch bol (“ball, sphere, scoop, dot”), German Bolle (“bulb”), Danish bolle (“bowl, bread roll”), Icelandic bolli (“cup”).

From Wiktionary
From Middle English bowle, boule, from Old French boule (“ball”), from Latin bulla (“bubble, stud, round object”), from Proto-Indo-European *bōul- (“bubble, round object”). Cognate with Middle Low German poll (“head, top, summit”). More at poll.

From Wiktionary
Middle English bowle from Old English bolla bhel-² in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Middle English boule from Old French from Latin bulla round object

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition