bowl
UK[bəʊl]US[boʊl]
n
A round, deep dish or container used for holding food or liquid.
n
The contents of such a dish or container.
n
A rounded, hollow part of an object, especially of a spoon or tobacco pipe.
n
A natural basin or depression in the land.
n
A stadium for sporting or musical events, typically one with a large open area and tiered seating.
v
To roll a ball along the ground in the games of cricket or bowling.
v
To move quickly and smoothly, like a rolling ball.
Etymology
The word 'bowl' originates from the Old English 'bolla', meaning a rounded vessel or cup. This term is traced back to the Proto-Germanic 'bullô', which referred to a round vessel. The Proto-Germanic root is further linked to the Proto-Indo-European 'bhel-', meaning 'to swell, blow up', a root that gives a sense of roundness or inflated shape. This etymological journey from a concept of swelling to a rounded container clearly illustrates the logical progression into the modern meanings associated with hollow, rounded objects, whether they are dishes, stadiums, or natural depressions. The verbal sense, to roll a ball, developed in the 15th century from the noun, drawing on the shape and motion of a ball.
Analysis
The word 'bowl' is a simplex word of Old English origin. It is not productively formed from smaller, independent morphemes in modern English.
Examples
She served the soup in a large ceramic bowl.
The Super Bowl is one of the most-watched television events in the United States.
He can bowl a perfect game in ten-pin bowling.