*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of bolo

From Philippine Spanish bolo, from Tagalog bolo.

4 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 4 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A long, heavy, single-edged machete. · A type of punch; an uppercut.

verb

To cleave or dismember (a person or an animal) with a bolo knife.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Philippine Spanish bolo, from Tagalog bolo.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Derivation mentionbolotl
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "es-PH",
        "3": "bolo",
        "id": "machete"
      },
      "expansion": "Philippine Spanish bolo"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "tl",
        "3": "bolo"
      },
      "expansion": "Tagalog bolo"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
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      "bolo#Spanish:_machete"
    ],
    [
      "bolo",
      "bolo#Tagalog"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
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  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A long, heavy, single-edged machete.",
        "A type of punch; an uppercut."
      ],
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        "To cleave or dismember (a person or an animal) with a bolo knife."
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To fail to meet the minimum standards of marksmanship.

noun

A soldier not capable of the minimum standards of marksmanship.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Supposedly named after Bolo Pascha, a German agent in France during World War I.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [],
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  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To fail to meet the minimum standards of marksmanship."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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      ],
      "tags": [],
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

A string or leather necktie secured with an ornamental slide.

verb

To dress (somebody) in a bolo.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Argentine Spanish boleadora (“lariat”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "es",
        "3": "boleadora",
        "4": "",
        "5": "lariat"
      },
      "expansion": "Spanish boleadora (“lariat”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "boleadora",
      "boleadora#Spanish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
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      ],
      "tags": [],
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      ],
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      ],
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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
noun

A request for law enforcement officers to be on the lookout for a suspect.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

An acronym of be on the lookout.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    ],
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    ],
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      "lookout#English"
    ]
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  "references": [],
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  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "noun",
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      ],
      "tags": [
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for bolo →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Ym9sbw