boule

Etymology 1

From French boule. Doublet of bull (etymologies 2 and 4) and bulla, or of bowl and pulla, depending on the etymology of the French word.

noun

1. One of the bowls used in the French game of boules.
2. A single-crystal ingot produced by synthetic means.
3. A round loaf of bread.
4. A round piece of dough.
5. (woodworking) A through-sawn log with the slices restacked in the order and orientation they originally had in the log, usually with waney edges.
   Behind him is lumber 'sawn in the boule.' Wood is more commonly sawn in this manner in Europe and is stacked in the order it comes from the log. 1986, Fine woodworking on wood and how to dry it, page 42
   Specialty lumber dealers can cut and sticker a log "in the boule," so that boards hold the same relative position they had before milling 1995 August, American Woodworker, number 46, page 41
   A live-sawn log kept as a unit is known as a boule 1991 August, American Woodworker, number 21, page 47
   IN THE BOULE. If you work with whole logs, allocate enough space for storing flitch-cut planks in the order they were sawn. Their sheer bulk helps keep them flat, and stacking in order makes sequential matching for color and grain much easier 2005, Andy Rae, Workshop Idea Book, page 94

verb

1. (transitive, cooking, rare, nonstandard) To shape (a piece of dough) into a ball.

Etymology 2

Alteration of Boulle. See buhl.

noun

1. (woodworking) Alternative form of buhl

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Ancient Greek βουλή (boulḗ).

noun

1. (historical) A council of citizens in Ancient Greece