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bolus - 7 dictionary results

bo⋅lus

[boh-luhs]
–noun, plural -lus⋅es.
1. Pharmacology, Veterinary Medicine. a round mass of medicinal material, larger than an ordinary pill. Abbreviation: bol.
2. a soft, roundish mass or lump, esp. of chewed food.
3. bole 2 .

Origin:
1595–1605; < LL bōlus clod of earth < Gk bôlos clod, lump; see bole 2

bole

2[bohl]
–noun
1. any of a variety of soft, unctuous clays of various colors, used as pigments.
2. a medium red-brown color made from such clay.
Also, bolus.


Origin:
1350–1400; ME bol < LL bōlus lump; see bolus
bo·lus   (bō'ləs)   
n.   pl. bo·lus·es
  1. A round mass: "A dense bolus of trapped dolphins fills the frame" (Kenneth Browser).
    1. A single, relatively large quantity of a substance, such as a dose of a drug, intended for therapeutic use and taken orally.
    2. A concentrated mass of a substance administered intravenously for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes.
  2. A soft mass of chewed food within the mouth or alimentary canal.

[Medieval Latin bōlus, from Greek bōlos, lump of earth.]

Bolus

Bo"lus\, n.; pl. Boluses. [L. bolus bit, morsel; cf. G. ? lump of earth. See Bole, n., clay.] A rounded mass of anything, esp. a large pill.

Main Entry: bo·lus
Pronunciation: 'bO-l&s
Function: noun
1 : a rounded mass: as a : a large pill b : asoft mass of chewed food
2 : a dose of a substance (as a drug) given intravenously specifically : a large dose given for the purpose of rapidly achieving the neededtherapeutic concentration in the bloodstream —compare LOADING DOSE

bolus bo·lus (bō'ləs)
n. pl. bo·lus·es

  1. A round mass.
  2. A round medicinal preparation, such as a large pill or tablet, that is usually of a soft consistency and not prepackaged.
  3. A soft mass of chewed food within the mouth or alimentary canal.

bolus

food that has been chewed and mixed in the mouth with saliva. Chewing helps to reduce food particles to a size readily swallowed; saliva adds digestive enzymes, water, and mucus that help chemically to reduce food particles, hydrate them for taste, and lubricate them for easy swallowing. The term bolus applies to this mixture of food and solutions until they are passed into the stomach. Once the bolus reaches the stomach, mixes with gastric juices, and becomes reduced in size, the food mass becomes known as chyme.

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