bocci ball

6.5

A hard ball people use in the Italian game bocce to roll toward a small target

noun
/ˈbɑːtʃi bɔːl/

: bola de bocce

Players take turns rolling the bocci ball toward the pallino.

Examples

The red bocci ball landed closest to the target.
He bought a new set of bocci balls for the summer tournament.
He threw the bocci ball with great precision.
The bocci balls are stored in the shed.
During the picnic, they enjoyed playing bocce with their new bocci balls.
Each player must roll their bocci ball smoothly down the court.
He carefully aimed his bocci ball to knock the opponent's ball away.

Synonyms

bocce ball

vsbocci ball

1 5.3

A heavy ball in the Italian game of bocce that players roll to get close to the small target ball

is the general term that includes wooden or composite versions

boule

vsbocci ball

Specialized

1 8.1

A heavy round ball used in the game pétanque

is specific to the Italian bowling game rather than those other outdoor throwing games

boccie ball

vsbocci ball

7.7

A wooden ball for the game bocce that players roll toward a small target ball

has same meaning but also includes composite material versions

Surface Forms

bocci ball singular

bocci balls plural

Morphology

bocci + ball

This is a straightforward compound of a sport name plus 'ball' (analogous to 'soccer ball' or 'cricket ball'), so the meaning 'the ball used in bocce' is directly inferable from the constituents. A B1 learner who knows that 'bocci' refers to the game and 'ball' means a round play object will readily understand the expression; this compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common.

Etymology

Bocci ball comes from the Italian word boccia, meaning 'ball'. Imagine players rolling a smooth round bocci ball toward a small target; that clear image is why the term means the ball used in the game of bocce today.