bocce ball
1
5.3
- noun
- /ˈbɑːtʃi bɔːl/
:
bola de bocce
- Bocce ball.
- bocce ball court
- play bocce ball
Examples
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Yeah, I play bocce ball with Tala's mother's second cousin.
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Players take turns rolling their bocce ball towards the small target called the pallino.
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We play bocce ball too; I lose.
Blog text (28) -
Lillie playing some bocce ball:
Blog text (11) -
Back in the summer of 2011, when some of us were playing bocce ball on the beach, Congress was at work trying to deal with the debt ceiling.
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Bocce ball.
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Luke Lavoie shares the plans for a park and bocce ball court in Hickory Ridge.
Blog text (17) -
Now let me see, should I jettison my squash racket or bocce ball set, the fondue or the
Blog text (21) -
They'd sat tucked in a back booth, twirling their forks in plates of linguine, and listening to a group of old Italian men playing bocce ball in the alley outside.
Fiction book (1998) -
And although I didn't have time to explore the other bars in Bowlmor and the many sports options like pool, skee ball, bocce ball, and of course bowling (I probably couldn't afford it anyway), all of these options are right here at your fingertips.
Blog text (9)
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A round object used in games like football or tennis
1
8.1
A heavy round ball used in the game pétanque
A wooden ball for the game bocce that players roll toward a small target ball
A hard ball people use in the Italian game bocce to roll toward a small target
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a heavy ball used in the Italian game of bocce' is directly and compositionally derived from 'bocce' (the game) + 'ball' (a round play object). This is a literal noun–noun compound following a common cross-linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Bocce ball comes from the Italian game bocce, where players roll a heavy ball toward a small target called the pallino. So the name simply means 'a heavy ball used in the Italian game', which explains its current meaning.