boulevard
pronunciation
How to pronounce boulevard in British English:
UK [ˈbuːləvɑːd]
How to pronounce boulevard in American English:
US [ˈbʊləvɑːrd]
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- Noun:
- a wide street or thoroughfare
Word Origin
- boulevard
- boulevard: [18] Boulevard is a frenchified version of German bollwerk ‘fortification’ (the corresponding anglicized version is bulwark). The meaning of the French word, apparently quite divergent from that of bulwark, comes originally from the practice of constructing walkways along the top of demolished ramparts.=> bulwark
- boulevard (n.)
- 1769, from French boulevard (15c.), originally "top surface of a military rampart," from a garbled attempt to adopt Middle Dutch bolwerc "wall of a fortification" (see bulwark) into French, which at that time lacked a -w- in its alphabet. The notion is of a promenade laid out atop demolished city walls, a way which would be much wider than urban streets. Originally in English with conscious echoes of Paris; since 1929, in U.S., used of multi-lane limited-access urban highways. Early French attempts to digest the Dutch word also include boloart, boulever, boloirque, bollvercq.
Example
- 1. You 're just a 16-year-old girl on hollywood boulevard ?
- 2. It is situated on a six-lane boulevard in the county seat across from a 20-storey building .
- 3. Why am I picking up my kids on hollywood boulevard ?
- 4. That private eye creep down on hollywood boulevard ?
- 5. One bold attempt to lure them back can be seen at the corner of third street and fairfax boulevard in los angeles .