bolt
Part of speech: noun
verb
adv
Morphological type: simple
Topics: biology
botany
engineering
government
mechanical
mechanical-engineering
military
natural-sciences
nautical
physical-sciences
politics
transport
war
Etymology: From Middle English bolt, from Old English bolt, from Proto-West Germanic *bolt, from Proto-Germanic *bultaz, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeld- (“to knock, strike”). Compare Lithuanian beldu (“I knock”), baldas (“pole for striking”). Akin to Dutch and West Frisian bout, German Bolz or Bolzen, Danish bolt, Swedish bult, Icelandic bolti.
The association of thunder and lightning with 'bolts' is found back into prehistory in many cultures, at least in Eurasia. It comes from the long-standing widespread belief that lightning was caused by bolts, darts, or stones hurtling down from the sky to the earth. This belief was still regarded as commonplace until at least 1929.
Inflected forms:
form: bolts
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: bolts
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: bolting
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: bolted
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: bolted
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: A (usually) metal fastener consisting of a cylindrical body that is threaded, with a larger head on one end. It can be inserted into an unthreaded hole up to the head, with a nut then threaded on the other end; a heavy machine screw.
pos: noun
gloss: Latch-related senses
pos: noun
examples: There was the noise of a bolt shot back, and the door opened a few inches, enough to show a long snout and a pair of sleepy blinking eyes.
gloss: Latch-related senses
pos: noun
gloss: Latch-related senses
pos: noun
gloss: An iron to fasten the legs of a prisoner; a shackle; a fetter.
pos: noun
examples: He shall to prison, and there die in boults.
Away with him to prison! Lay bolts enough upon him:
gloss: A stalk or scape (of garlic, onion, etc).
pos: noun
examples: All kinds of vegetables may be used as a topping, but the best are strongly flavoured ones without too much moisture, such as celery, garlic bolts, chives, scallions, or various beans (long beans, green beans etc.) ...
She ordered Cat's Ear Noodles heaped with garlic bolts and tomatoes, the broth thick with cumin, laced with black vinegar. The girl caught her accent, the sibilant sing-song of the south, and smiled, tilting her head questioningly.
gloss: A large roll of fabric or similar material, as a bolt of cloth.
pos: noun
examples: Mr. Cole, Basket-maker...has lost near 300 boults of rods
Not only were the old sails being mended, but new sails were coming on board, and bolts of canvas, and coils of rigging; in short, everything betokened that the ship's preparations were hurrying to a close.
gloss: A large roll of fabric or similar material, as a bolt of cloth.
pos: noun
gloss: Senses involving sudden movement
pos: noun
gloss: Senses involving sudden movement
pos: noun
examples: He had seen lightning bolts yesterday night.
gloss: Senses involving sudden movement
pos: noun
examples: The problem's solution struck him like a bolt from the blue.
With a bolt of fright he remembered that there was no bathroom in the Hobhouse Room. He leapt along the corridor in a panic, stopping by the long-case clock at the end where he flattened himself against the wall.
gloss: Senses involving sudden movement
pos: noun
examples: The horse made a bolt.
gloss: Senses involving sudden movement
pos: noun
examples: This gentleman was so hopelessly involved that he contemplated a bolt to America — or anywhere.
gloss: Senses involving sudden movement
pos: noun
tags: US
gloss: Senses involving sudden movement
pos: noun
examples: In the event they lacked a proper midfield bolt, with Toni Kroos and Sami Khedira huffing around in pursuit of the whizzing green machine. The centre-backs looked flustered, left to deal with three on two as Mexico broke. Löw’s 4-2-3-1 seemed antiquated and creaky, with the old World Cup shark Thomas Müller flat-footed in a wide position.
gloss: To connect or assemble pieces using a bolt.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: Bolt the vice to the bench.
gloss: To affix in a crude or unnatural manner.
pos: verb
tags: figuratively
transitive
examples: Most languages are *not* based on C++. C++ is a complicated mess. It's C with object oriented features bolted on as an afterthought and no-one in their right mind would want to base another language on it.
Going through the motions with an empty smile bolted on my face
gloss: To secure a door by locking or barring it.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: Bolt the door.
If that double-bolted land, Japan, is ever to become hospitable, it is the whale-ship alone to whom the credit will be due; for already she is on the threshold.
gloss: To flee, to depart, to accelerate away suddenly.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: Seeing the snake, the horse bolted.
The actor forgot his line and bolted from the stage.
This Pucke ſeems but a dreaming dolt, / Still vvalking like a ragged Colt, / And oft out of a buſh doth bolt, / Of purpoſe to deceiue vs, / And leading vs makes vs to ſtray.
Bradly was embarrassed, detected in the character of a snooper. But he had to come on, short of bolting back in his tracks.
gloss: To escape.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
gloss: To cause to start or spring forth; to dislodge (an animal being hunted).
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: to bolt a rabbit
gloss: To strike or fall suddenly like a bolt.
pos: verb
examples: His cloudleſs thunder bolted on thir heads.
gloss: To produce flower stalks and flowers or seeds quickly or prematurely; to form a bolt (stalk or scape); to go to seed.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: Lettuce and spinach will bolt as the weather warms up.
When an onion bolts and forms a flower stalk, the stem grows right up through the neck, forming a tough, fibrous tube that pierces the center of the bulb. The plant channels all its energy into this flower stalk, so no more fleshy […]
To be honest, this hasn't been my Garden of Eden year. […] The lettuce turned bitter and bolted. The Green Comet broccoli was good, but my coveted Romanescos never headed up.
Hardneck garlic bolts, which means it produces a single flower stalk, also known as a scape. It is considered to be far tastier and “gourmet.” You can find hardneck garlic mainly at farmers' markets […]
gloss: To swallow food without chewing it.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: Though amid all the smoking horror and diabolism of a sea-fight, sharks will be seen longingly gazing up to the ship’s decks, like hungry dogs round a table where red meat is being carved, ready to bolt down every killed man that is tossed to them;
Some hawks and owls bolt their prey whole, and after an interval of from twelve to twenty hours, disgorge pellets, which, as I know from experiments made in the Zoological Gardens, include seeds capable of germination.
gloss: To drink one's drink very quickly; to down a drink.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: Come on, everyone, bolt your drinks; I want to go to the next pub!
gloss: To refuse to support a nomination made by a party or caucus with which one has been connected; to break away from a party.
pos: verb
tags: US
examples: John Silber charged that people who bolted the Democratic Party in this election are "Kamakaze ^([sic]) liberals", beneath contempt and clearly too stupid to deserve to vote.
gloss: To utter precipitately; to blurt or throw out.
pos: verb
examples: I hate when vice can bolt her arguments.
gloss: Suddenly; straight; unbendingly.
pos: adv
tags: not-comparable
examples: The soldiers stood bolt upright for inspection.
[He] came bolt up against the heavy dragoon.
Related words: arrow
dart
nut
screw
Derived words: adderbolt
Allen bolt
banjo bolt
birdbolt
bolt action
bolt-action
bolt bucket
bolt circle
bolt cropper
bolt cutter
boltcutter
boltface
bolt from the blue
bolthead
bolt-hole
bolthole
boltless
boltlike
boltmaker
boltmaking
bolt out of the blue
bolt rope
bolt-rope
boltrope
bolt thrower
captive bolt pistol
carriage bolt
chainbolt
climbing bolt
coach bolt
deadbolt
devil bolt
dogbolt
drag bolt
drawbolt
driftbolt
drivebolt
drop bolt
elf bolt
elf-bolt
eye bolt
eyebolt
firebolt
fishbolt
fox bolt
garnish bolt
headbolt
head bolt
head-bolt
head bolt heater
head-bolt heater
hex head bolt
jag bolt
key bolt
kingbolt
lag bolt
latchbolt
lightning bolt
lockbolt
lug bolt
molly bolt
nut behind the bolt
nuts and bolts
rambolt
ringbolt
roller bolt
roofbolt
screw bolt
setbolt
sex bolt
shackle bolt
shoe bolt
shoot one's bolt
shoulder bolt
sluice one's bolt
socket bolt
soldering bolt
staybolt
stay bolt
stud bolt
superbolt
tap bolt
throat-bolt
thunderbolt
toggle bolt
U-bolt
unbolt
wrain-bolt
wringbolt
boltable
bolt down
bolt in
bolt-on
rebolt
Translations:
lang: Bulgarian
word: топ
roman: top
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 匹
roman: pǐ
lang: Dutch
word: rol
lang: Esperanto
word: ŝtofbobeno
lang: Esperanto
word: rulaĵo
lang: Finnish
word: rulla
lang: Finnish
word: pakka
lang: Finnish
word: paali
lang: French
word: rouleau
lang: Galician
word: roldo
lang: Galician
word: rolo
lang: German
word: Ballen
lang: German
word: Rolle
lang: Hebrew
word: גְּלִילָה
roman: glilah
lang: Hungarian
word: vég
lang: Italian
word: rotolo
lang: Japanese
word: 反物
roman: tanmono
lang: Māori
word: pōkai (papanga)
lang: Portuguese
word: rolo
lang: Russian
word: руло́н
roman: rulón
lang: Scottish Gaelic
word: bolta
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: смо̏так
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: ба̏ла
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: smȍtak
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: bȁla
lang: Spanish
word: rollo
lang: Swedish
word: bunt c packe
lang: Swedish
word: rulle