shore boulder
1
7.0
- noun
- Waves and ice can move a shore boulder miles from its source over many years.
Examples
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The geologist inspected the shore boulder to determine how far it had traveled.
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Many shore boulders along the coastline originated from distant cliffs.
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The shore boulder was covered in seaweed.
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Many shore boulders can be found along the coast.
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The geologist inspected the shore boulder to determine how far it had traveled.
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Waves and ice can move a shore boulder miles from its source over many years.
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A large shore boulder stood majestically at the edge of the beach.
Synonyms
77
2.2
A very large round rock that lies on the ground
1
9.5
A very large smooth rounded rock separate from the rock around it
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'shore' (edge of a body of water) + 'boulder' (a large rounded rock) straightforwardly yields 'a large rock on the shoreline.' This type of noun compounding is a common and regular pattern in English (and many other languages), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Shore boulder comes from the image of a big boulder carried to the shore by waves or moving ice over many years. That's why it means 'a large rock found on a shoreline that has been moved from its original place'.