Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

bolide

/ˈboʊ.laɪd/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.56 in modern English

Syllables: bolide
IPA: /ˈboʊ.laɪd/

9

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

1

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An extremely bright meteor.

noun

Any extraterrestrial body that collides with Earth.

noun

Example Sentences

"The smallest impactor that can penetrate the atmosphere deep enough to cause any damage on the ground is not much smaller than the "Tunguska" bolide that flattened a couple thousand square miles of Siberian forest in 1908."

Etymology

Borrowed from French bolide, from Latin bolis, from Ancient Greek βολίς (bolís, “missile, arrow, javelin”). Doublet of bolis.

Origin

Source language: French

Word Breakdown

Root: bolide, bolis, βολίς

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈboʊ.laɪd/

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Astronomy.

Inflected Forms

bolides (plural)

Derived Forms

hyperbolide superbolide

Synonyms

fireball

Questions

How do you pronounce bolide?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈboʊ.laɪd/.
What does bolide mean?: An extremely bright meteor.
Where does bolide come from?: It is traced to French.

How to pronounce bolide

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “bolide”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈboʊ.laɪd/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “bolide”.
Repeat and practice — Say “bolide” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.