ENGLISH
REFERENCE

boyle

n. countable
C2 Proficiency US //ˈbɔɪɫ// boyle Archaic

n. a small, round loaf of bread. You might see this word in old books or historical stories.

n. a small, round loaf of bread, typically made from coarse flour. Archaic; largely replaced by 'loaf' or 'roll' in modern usage.


SIMPLE

He broke the boyle into pieces for the children.

CONTEXTUAL

The medieval peasant ate a hard boyle with a slice of cheese for his morning meal.

COMPLEX

In the dim light of the tavern, the traveler unwrapped his stale boyle, a humble staple that sustained him through the long, cold journey.

Origin

* As an Irish surname, Anglicised from Irish Ó Baoithghill, possibly a compound of baoth (“vain, foolish”) and geall (“pledge”). * As a Scottish surname of Norman origin, from Biéville in Normandy, which could be from the Germanic personal name Boia + the common placename suffix -ville.

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