Bowling
/ˈboʊ.lɪŋ/noun
A game in which a ball is rolled to knock down pins.
Did you know?Bowling comes from the same ancient root as words like “ball” and “bulge,” all tracing back to a PIE idea meaning to swell, roll, or be rounded.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bhel-
“to swell, blow, or be rounded”
Old English
English
bylgan / bolla-related forms
“rounded object or swelling form”
Middle English
English
bollen / bowlien
“to roll a ball or play a ball game”
14th–15th Century
English
bowlen
“to bowl, roll, or hurl a ball”
Modern English
English
bowling
“the act or sport of rolling a ball toward a target”