▪ I. † bold n. Obs.
Also 2–3 bolde, 4 boolde.
[OE. bold, dwelling, is, according to Sievers, prob. for *bodl, *boðl, *boþl, which also appears as botl, identical with OSax. bodl-, ON. ból (:—boðl):—OTeut. *boþlo-, from bu-, bo-, ‘dwell’ + instrumental suffix -tlo = -tro (Gr. -τλο-, -τρο-). Parallel examples are OE. seld = setl, north. seþel ‘seat, settle’, also nǽld = nǽdl, *nǽþl ‘needle’, áld = ádl, *áþl ‘disease’. It appears that original þ before l and m became in certain circumstances (after short vowel) t: cf. botm for boþm, OHG. bodam. The ON. ból from boðl has many parallels: mál:—maðl; stál:—staðl, etc. See bottle n.1]
A dwelling, habitation, building.
| a 1000 Beowulf 1998 Wæs þæt beorhte bold tobrocen. c 1250 Hymns Virg. in Trin. Coll. Hom. 257 Bring us to þine bolde. c 1270 Earth in E.E.P. 152 Er erþe go to erþe bild þi long bold. 1297 R. Glouc. 383 Þe fayre halle, & oþer bold, þat hys fader let rere. 1387 Trevisa Higden Rolls Ser. VI. 169 He made hem bulde meny booldes. |
▪ II. bold, a.
(bəʊld)
Forms: 1–4 bald, 3– bold, 4–7 bolde, 4–5 boold(e, 6 bould, 7 boulde. Also, 1 WSax. beald, 2–4 beld, 3 bæld; north. 3–6 bald, 3 baald, 4–5 balde (bowde), 5– bauld, 6 bawlde.
[Com. Teut.: OE. bald (in WSax. beald) = OS., OHG. bald, MHG. balt-des (whence mod.G. bald adv. ‘quickly’), MDu. bout -de, Du. boud, ON. ball-r, Goth. *balþs, only found in derivatives, as balþei, balþjan:—OTeut. *balþo-z. No related words appear outside Teutonic.]
1. a. Of persons: Stout-hearted, courageous, daring, fearless; the opposite of ‘timid’ or ‘fearful’. Often, with admiration emphasized = brave.
| a 1000 Ags. Ps. cxviii. [cxix.] 162 Ic blissiᵹe bealde mode. c 1205 Lay. 16325 Þus bælde Hængest..cnihten alre hændest. Ibid. 25410 Speke we of Arthur, baldest alre kinge. 1297 R. Glouc. 465 King Stefne was the boldore. c 1314 Guy Warw. (A.) 669 Feir & beld to tellen by. a 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 6855 Swa hardy es na man, ne swa balde. c 1380 Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. II. 36 So myȝten boolde men seie, to þes ordris. c 1400 Destr. Troy 5952 So bold was no buerne his bir to withstond. c 1470 Henry Wallace ii. 354 Baulder in battaill. 1593 Shakes. Lucr. 1430 When their brave hope, bold Hector, march'd to field. 1611 Bible Prov. xxviii. 1, The righteous are bolde as a lyon. 1790 Burns Tam O'Shanter, Inspiring bold John Barleycorn! 1842 Tennyson To J. S. viii, A man more pure and bold and just Was never born. 1863 C. St. John Nat. Hist. Moray vii. 171 The Cormorant..is a bold, confident bird. |
| fig. 1611 Shakes. Wint. T. iv. iv. 125 Pale Prime-roses..bold Oxlips, and the Crowne Imperiall. |
b. absol. A bold man. Now only pl. the bold.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 16055 He beheilde þa bitter bald. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. (Roxb.) 81 That many a bolde sythen a bought. c 1400 Destr. Troy 1210 Lamydon..Bare don mony bolde. Ibid. 1405 Mony boldes (?) for þat bright in batell be kylde. 1852 Tennyson Ode Wellington v, There he shall rest for ever Among the wise and the bold. |
c. quasi-adv. = boldly.
| 1593 Shakes. Rich. II, i. iii. 3 The Duke of Norfolke, sprightfully and bold, Stayes but the summons of the Appealants Trumpet. 1598–9 Parismus ii. (1661) 24, I have the boldir presumed to detain you. 1786 Burns To Edinb., Bold-following where your fathers led! |
2. Of words, actions, etc.: Showing or requiring courage; daring, brave.
| a 1250 Owl & Night. 1715 Þurh belde worde. c 1320 Seuyn Sag. (W.) 2042 A dede queinte and beld. c 1340 Cursor M. 7033 Of troye & grece þo batailes bolde [Cott. bald]. 1597 Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, iv. v. 197 All these bold Feares..I haue answered. 1667 Milton P.L. ii. 386 The bold design Pleas'd highly those infernal States. 1712 Pope Rape Lock i. 11 In tasks so bold can little men engage? 1844 Thirlwall Greece VIII. lxv. 351 [He] ventured on a very bold step. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 11 My former bold belief in my powers of conversing. |
3. Phrases. to make (so) bold, to be (so) bold: to venture, presume so far as, take the liberty (to do a thing). † to make or be bold with (obs.): to take liberties, make free with.
| c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 879 Ho hath been so bold..to sle myn lyf [i.e. Pyramus]. 1393 Gower Conf. II. 259 Iason..upon Medea made him bolde Of art magique. a 1535 More Edw. V (1641) Ded., I am bould to crave your patronage herein. 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. i. ii. 251 Sir, let me be so bold as aske you. 1598 ― Merry W. ii. ii. 262, I will first make bold with your money. 1599 ― Much Ado iii. ii. 8. 1601 ― Jul. C. ii. i. 86, I thinke we are too bold vpon your Rest. 1613 ― Hen. VIII, iii. ii. 318 You made bold To carry into Flanders, the Great Seale. 1676 ‘A. Rivetus, Jun.’ Mr. Smirke K ii b, Because they were all Christians, they thought..they might make the bolder with them, make bolder with Christ, and wound him again. 1699 Bentley Phal. 216 Whether of these our Author made bold with, I cannot determin. 1852 M{supc}Culloch Taxation ii. ix. 337 We are bold to say that no instance can be found. 1876 Gladstone Homeric Synchr. 166 Nothing, I make bold to say, can be more improbable. |
4. a. In bad sense: Audacious, presumptuous, too forward; the opposite of ‘modest’.
| c 1200 Ormin 2185 Son se maȝȝdenn wurrþeþþ bald, Ȝho wurrþeþþ sone unnþæwedd. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 323 ‘Eue’, seide he, ðat neddre bold, ‘Quat oȝet nu ðat for-bode o-wold’. 1340 Ayenb. 216 Naȝt þe bolde ne þe naȝt ssamueste. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 43 Bolde, presumptuosus, effrons. 1501 Douglas Pal. Hon. ii. 987 Ane deuill of hell, Is na compair to the iniquitie, Of bald wemen. 1505 Answ. Secret Instr. Hen. VII resp. Q. Naples, Not to bolde, but somewhat shamefast womanly. 1605 Shakes. Lear i. iv. 263 Men so disorder'd, so debosh'd, and bold, That this our court..Shewes like a riotous Inne. 1733 Pope Hor. Sat. ii. i. 106 The bold front of shameless, guilty men. 1847 Tennyson Princ. iii. 233 You are bold indeed: we are not talk'd to thus. Mod. A bold young woman. |
† b. absol. An audacious or shameless person. Obs.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 8693 Do me bote a-gain þis bald. Ibid. 15378 Þat ilk es he, þat baald. |
c. quasi-adv.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 7131 Vn-to þat birde was biddand bald, Sampson al þe soth hir tald. |
5. Strong, mighty, big. (obs.) Of grain, etc.: Well-filled, plump. Of fire or wind: Strong, fierce (Sc.)
| c 1300 K. Alis. 5004 Wymmen there ben mychel and belde. c 1314 Guy Warw. (1840) 149 Forestes ful of hertes beld. a 1400 Cov. Myst. 3 He sent to Noe an Angel bolde. c 1505 Dunbar ‘Now cumis Aige’ ii, Trew luvis fyre nevir birnis bauld. 1513 Douglas æneis xiii. iv. 65 The bald flambis and brym blesis stowt. 1724 Ramsay Tea-t. Misc. (1733) I. 114 Boreas with his blasts sae bauld. 1787 Winter Syst. Husb. 186 Being a bolder and better grain, weighed heavier. 1818 Scott Rob Roy xxix, ‘An the brandy hadna been ower bauld for your brain.’ 1864 Times 8 Dec., Coffee..sold at 69s. to 72s. 6d., for good to fine ordinary bold. |
† 6. Confident (in), certain, sure (of). Obs.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 2675 Qua es not sua þai mai be bald, Þai sal not o mi folk be tald. c 1400 Ywaine & Gaw. 169 This ilk Knight, that, be ye balde, Was lord and keper of that halde. c 1435 Torr. Portugal 2440 We wylle hym kepe and we may, Thereof be ye bold! c 1440 York Myst. viii. 119 He wille be my beylde, þus am I bowde. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 17 b, We sholde be bolde of his grace. 1588 Shakes. Tit. A. v. i. 13 Be bold in vs, weele follow where thou lead'st. 1609 Holland Amm. Marcel. xviii. iv. 109 Bearing himselfe bold of helpe from those nations. 1611 Shakes. Cymb. ii. iv. 2, I would I were so sure To winne the King, as I am bold, her Honour Will remaine her's. 1616 R. C. Times' Whis. ii. 703 These he dares be bolde, And more then these. |
7. fig. Showing daring, vigour, or licence of conception or expression; vigorous, striking.
| a 1667 Cowley (J.) The figures are bold even to temerity. a 1687 Waller (J.) Bold tales of gods or monsters. 1737 Pope Hor. Epist. ii. ii. 165 Mark where a bold expressive phrase occurs. 1763 Johnson in Boswell xv. (1848) 137/1, I do not think Gray a first-rate poet. He has not a bold imagination. |
8. a. ‘Standing out to the view; striking to the eye’ (J.); firmly marked, ‘pronounced’.
| 1678 J. Phillips Tavernier's Trav. ii. i. x. 64 Had it been finish'd..it had excell'd all the boldest structures of Asia. 1753 Scots Mag. July 318/2 Her pulse easy, bold, and regular. 1775 Sheridan Rivals iii. iv. (1883) 115 I'll write a good bold hand. 1850 Mrs. Stowe Uncle Tom's C. xxi. 225 His curling hair hung round a high, bold forehead. 1857 H. Miller Test. Rocks iii. 144 Standing out in bold relief. 1867 M. E. Herbert Cradle L. vii. 175 The walls are panelled with precious inlaid marbles, in bold patterns. |
b. Typogr. Of type = bold-face 2. Also ellipt. or as n.
| c 1871 V. & J. Figgins Types Specimen Bk., Pica Bold Italic. Long Primer Bold Italic. Brevier Bold Italic. Nonpareil Bold Italic. 1884 Type in Use at Messrs. Parker's Printing Office, Oxford May 25 Pica bold..brevier bold..nonpareil bold..pearl bold. 1933 D. L. Sayers Murder must Advertise viii. 132 Can you cut away the headline and re-set in Goudy Bold? 1962 Which? Car Suppl. Oct. 114/1 Version tested [sc. is printed] in bold. |
9. In Nautical lang., applied to a coast rising steeply from deep water; also, to the deep water close to such a shore: also, in ordinary lang., to any broad, steep or projecting face of rock. Of a ship: Broad and bluff in the bows.
| 1628 Digby Voy. Medit. (1868) 13 It is a bold shore. 1697 W. Dampier Voy. (1729) I. 34 A bold Shore, that is, high land and deep water close home by it. 1787 T. Jefferson Writ. (1859) I. 96 At Honfleur..they can ride in bold water, in a good bottom. 1793 Smeaton Edystone L. §170 Built unusually bold in their Bows. 1810 Scott Lady of L. i. v. 12 The pine-trees blue On the bold cliffs of Ben-venue. 1860 Merc. Mar. Mag. VII. 196 The soundings..show bold water, from 19 to 75 fathoms, close in shore. 1862 Ansted Channel Isl. i. v. (ed. 2) 111 The southern part of St. Ouen's Bay is extremely bold. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Bold-shore, a steep coast where the water, deepening rapidly, admits the near approach of shipping without the danger of grounding. Ibid., Bold-to, steep-to. |
10. Comb., as bold-hearted, bold-spirited; bold-face.
| 1853 De Quincey Sp. Mil. Nun Wks. III. 23 Our bold-hearted Kate. 1597 Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. Ded., Confident and bold-spirited men. 1603 Knolles Hist. Turks (1638) 286 One of the souldiers..a rough bold spirited fellow. |
▪ III. † bold, v. Obs.
Forms: see bold a.
[OE. bealdian, = OHG. baldên, f. bald adj.: see prec.]
1. intr. To be, or show oneself, bold; to become bold, grow strong or big.
| a 1000 Beowulf 4360 Swa bealdode beorn Ecgþeowes. a 1300 Cursor M. 7539 To gar þam wit hope to bald. c 1420 Pallad. on Husb. xii. 223 And ther is warme eke hugely thai [plum-trees] bold. c 1425 Seven Sag. (P.) 640 The wenche bygane to bolde. 1534 Ld. Berners Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546) K k vij, Oure hardines soo boldeth. 1706 De Foe Jure Div. ix. 201 No tame Subjection did their Kingdoms yield, But bolding courted Freedom in the Field. |
2. trans. To make bold, embolden, encourage.
| c 1205 Lay. 4385 To balden þine leoden [c 1275 to boldi]. a 1300 Cursor M. 10425 Men suld bald þam to be blith. c 1300 K. Alis. 2468 His Gregeys ful faire he boldith. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. iii. 198, I batered hem on þe bakke and bolded here hertis. 1535 Coverdale Deut. iii. 28 Geue Iosua his charge, and corage him and Bolde him. c 1540 Lady Brian in Ellis Orig. Lett. ii. II. 79 Now et boldethe me to shew yow my powr mynd. 1605 Shakes. Lear v. i. 26 It toucheth us, as France invades our land, Not bolds the king. |
b. To make (a fire) strong or fierce. north. dial.
| a 1400 Sir Perc. 792 He tase the knyghte bi the swire, Keste hym reghte in the fyre The brandes to balde. Mod. Sc. ‘To bauld the glead’, to kindle the glowing coal, i.e. to make the fire bold, to blow it up. Roxb. (Jamieson). |
▪ IV. bold
obs. f. bolt n.1