boulder (ˈbəʊldə
)
Definitions
noun
- a smooth rounded mass of rock that has a diameter greater than 25cm and that has been shaped by erosion and transported by ice or water from its original position
- geology a rock fragment with a diameter greater than 256 mm and thus bigger than a cobble
Alternative Forms
ˈbouldery adjectiveWord Origin
C13: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Swedish dialect bullersten , from Old Swedish bulder rumbling + stenstoneUsage examples
Instead he lay down, and slept sound and solid as a boulder.
, The Legend of Captain Space (1990)We know that what we have on our head is not a crown, but a big boulder called the Deming Prize.
Business Today (1998)It was like the boulder had been put there, set like a hunter's trap, waiting for me.
The Advertiser, Sunday Mail (2004)But out of nowhere he has found he is holding in his podgy fingers a nugget of gold as big as a boulder.
Sun, News of the World (2001)Thomas guessed the boy had come with the three men who had run to the rocks while he was crouched behind the boulder.
, The Grail Quest (3) HERETIC (2004)