bolus

noun, verb — 4 senses

noun

/ˈbəʊləs/

Etymology From Late Latin bōlus (“clod of earth, lump”), plural bōlī, from Ancient Greek βῶλος (bôlos, “clod, lump”). Doublet of bole.

A round mass of something, especially of chewed food in the mouth or alimentary canal.

A single, large dose of a drug, especially one in that form.

I gave him a bolus, twice the size of a gooseberry.1863, Sheridan Le Fanu, The House by the Churchyard:

verb

Etymology From Late Latin bōlus (“clod of earth, lump”), plural bōlī, from Ancient Greek βῶλος (bôlos, “clod, lump”). Doublet of bole.

To administer (a drug) in bolus dosing, that is, dosing in (one or more) boluses.

To take a bolus (dose) of insulin at a mealtime in order to control one's blood glucose level in diabetes.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.