boulevard
UK /ˈbuː.ləˌvɑːd/ · US /ˈbʊ.lə.vɑɹd/ noun, proper noun
Forms boulevards blvd. blvd bd. bd bl
- noun A broad, well-paved and landscaped thoroughfare. “We live on Sunset Boulevard.”
- noun The landscaping on the sides of a boulevard or other thoroughfare.
- noun A strip of land between a street and sidewalk.
- noun (Upper Midwestern US) The grassy area in the middle of some streets; a refuge island.
- proper noun A census-designated place in San Diego County, California, United States.
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from French boulevard, from Middle French boulevard, bollevart, boulevars, bolevers, bollewerc (“rampart”), from Middle High German bolewerc, bolwerc (modern German Bollwerk) or Middle Dutch bolwerk (“bulwark, bastion”). Doublet of bulwark; more at bole, work.
Webster’s 1913
- noun Originally, a bulwark or rampart of fortification or fortified town.
- noun A public walk or street occupying the site of demolished fortifications. Hence: A broad avenue in or around a city.
Etymology [F. boulevard, boulevart, fr. G. bollwerk. See Bulwark.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “boulevard”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details