HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.

Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.

guide to the dictionary

bou·le¹

(blē, b-lā)

1. The lower house of the modern Greek legislature.

a. The senate of 400 founded by Solon in ancient Athens.

b. A legislative assembly in any one of the ancient Greek states.

[Greek boulē, assembly; see g^welə- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

boule²

(bl)

a. often boules (bl) Any of several related bowling games, such as bocce or pétanque, traditionally played on an outdoor court.

b. The ball used in one of these games.

2. A round loaf of bread.

3. A pear-shaped synthetic sapphire, ruby, or other alumina-based gem, produced by fusing and tinting alumina.

[French, ball, boule, from Old French, ball, from Latin bulla, rounded object, bubble.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

American Heritage Dictionary Products

HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

THE USAGE PANEL

AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG

INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

American Heritage Dictionary Products