boll
8
8.2
- noun
- /bɔl/
- Specialized
:
capsula
- Over the years, estimates of yield losses and control costs due to the boll weevil total more than $22 billion.
- boll weevil
- cotton bolls
- boll weevil eradication
Examples
-
She carefully opened the boll to reveal the soft, white cotton inside.
-
For thousands of years, boll weevils fed on wild tropical cotton in Central and South America.
Academic text (1994) -
Less than 10 years later, the boll weevil was essentially wiped out in North and South Carolina.
Academic text (1995) -
For more than 100 years, boll weevils wreaked havoc on the U.S. cotton industry.
Academic text (2003) -
Now, you know cotton is ready when the bud splits, and the boll is star-shaped, like a big 0l' star in the sky.
-
The spindles grasp the fiber and selectively pull it out of the boll, leaving unwanted plant parts or trash behind.
Academic text (2000) -
The farmer inspected the boll to see if the cotton was ready for harvesting.
-
After the rain, the bolls in the field bloomed beautifully, promising a good yield.
Compounds
- Specialized
1
9.9
A small gray beetle that lays eggs in cotton bolls and ruins cotton crops
Surface Forms
Etymology
Boll comes from an old English word bolla meaning 'a round object' or 'bubble', so a cotton boll is like a small natural 'ball' that holds seeds and fiber.