Boll vs. Ball — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on December 10, 2023
A boll is the rounded seed capsule of plants like cotton. A ball is a spherical object, often used in games or sports.
Difference Between Boll and Ball
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Bolls are part of a plant, specifically the protective capsule that encloses seeds, commonly in cotton plants. Balls are round objects, used for a variety of purposes, including sports, play, and machinery.
The term boll is primarily used in agricultural contexts, relating to the growth and harvesting of fiber crops. Balls, on the other hand, are ubiquitous in recreation, sports, and even engineering.
Bolls grow naturally as part of a plant's reproductive cycle, providing a protective cover for developing seeds. Balls are man-made objects, designed for specific uses like football, basketball, or bearings in machinery.
Bolls have a direct impact on industries like textile manufacturing, as they contain the raw material for cotton. Balls are central to various games and sports, each with its specific design and regulation size.
The size and structure of bolls vary based on the plant species, influencing the quality of the fiber. Balls vary in size, material, and weight, depending on their intended use, from small marbles to large exercise balls.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
Seed capsule of plants like cotton
Spherical object, often used in games
Context of Use
Agriculture, textile industry
Sports, recreation, machinery
Origin
Natural part of a plant
Man-made object
Function
Enclosing and protecting seeds
Used for play, sports, or mechanical parts
Variations
Different in plants, affecting fiber type
Vary in size, material, and purpose
Compare with Definitions
Boll
The round seed capsule of certain plants, notably cotton.
The cotton bolls opened, revealing the soft fibers inside.
Ball
A spherical object used in games and sports.
She kicked the soccer ball into the goal.
Boll
A protective case that encloses the seeds of a plant.
The farm was full of plants with ripe bolls ready for harvesting.
Ball
A round object of varying sizes and materials.
He bounced the rubber ball against the wall.
Boll
Part of a plant that is crucial for the production of natural fibers.
The quality of the cotton depends on the condition of the bolls.
Ball
An object used for playing, entertainment, or in machinery.
The ball bearings were essential for the machine's operation.
Boll
A botanical term referring to the part of the plant that contains seeds.
He studied the formation of bolls in different species of plants.
Ball
A central element in many sports, such as basketball or baseball.
The pitcher threw the ball with incredible speed.
Boll
The fruit of the cotton plant used in the textile industry.
The field workers collected bolls for processing into cotton.
Ball
A spherical toy for children or pets.
The dog happily chased the ball in the park.
Boll
The seed-bearing capsule of certain plants, especially cotton and flax.
Ball
(mathematics) In 3-dimensional Euclidean space, the volume bounded by a sphere.
Boll
The rounded seed-bearing capsule of a cotton or flax plant.
Ball
A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with various uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players.
Boll
A protuberance or excrescence growing on the trunks of some trees, a burl.
Ball
A solid or hollow spherical or egg-shaped object that is kicked, thrown, or hit in a game
A cricket ball
Boll
(Scotland) An old dry measure equal to six bushels.
Ball
(in cricket) a delivery of the ball by the bowler to the batsman
His half century came off only forty balls
Boll
To form a boll or seed vessel; to go to seed.
Ball
The rounded protuberant part of the foot at the base of the big toe.
Boll
The pod or capsule of a plant, as of flax or cotton; a pericarp of a globular form.
Ball
A formal social gathering for dancing
Anne danced with the captain at a fancy-dress ball
A ball gown
Boll
A Scotch measure, formerly in use: for wheat and beans it contained four Winchester bushels; for oats, barley, and potatoes, six bushels. A boll of meal is 140 lbs. avoirdupois. Also, a measure for salt of two bushels.
Ball
Squeeze or form (something) into a rounded shape
Robert balled up his napkin and threw it on to his plate
Boll
To form a boll or seed vessel; to go to seed.
The barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled.
Ball
(of a flower) fail to open properly, decaying in the half-open bud.
Boll
The rounded seed-bearing capsule of a cotton or flax plant
Ball
A spherical object or entity
A steel ball.
Boll
German novelist and writer of short stories (1917-1985)
Ball
A spherical or almost spherical body
A ball of flame.
Ball
Any of various movable and round or oblong objects used in various athletic activities and games.
Ball
Such an object moving, thrown, hit, or kicked in a particular manner
A low ball.
A fair ball.
Ball
A game, especially baseball or basketball, played with such an object.
Ball
A pitched baseball that does not pass through the strike zone and is not swung at by the batter.
Ball
A solid spherical or pointed projectile, such as one shot from a cannon.
Ball
Projectiles of this kind considered as a group.
Ball
A rounded part or protuberance, especially of the body
The ball of the foot.
Ball
A testicle.
Ball
Balls Courage, especially when reckless.
Ball
Balls Great presumptuousness.
Ball
A formal gathering for social dancing.
Ball
(Informal) An extremely enjoyable time or experience
We had a ball during our vacation.
Ball
To form into a ball.
Ball
To become formed into a ball.
Ball
A solid or hollow sphere, or roughly spherical mass.
A ball of spittle; a fecal ball
Ball
A quantity of string, thread, etc., wound into a spherical shape.
A ball of wool; a ball of twine
Ball
(mathematics) Homologue or analogue of a disk in the Euclidean plane.
Ball
(mathematics) The set of points in a metric space of any number of dimensions lying within a given distance (the radius) of a given point.
Ball
(mathematics) The set of points in a topological space lying within some open set containing a given point.
Ball
A solid, spherical nonexplosive missile for a cannon, rifle, gun, etc.
Ball
A jacketed non-expanding bullet, typically of military origin.
Ball
Such bullets collectively.
Ball
A roundish, protuberant portion of some part of the body.
The ball of the thumb
Ball
(anatomy) The front of the bottom of the foot, just behind the toes.
Ball
The globe; the earthly sphere.
Ball
An object that is the focus of many sports and games, in which it may be thrown, caught, kicked, bounced, rolled, chased, retrieved, hit with an instrument, spun, etc., usually roughly spherical but whose size, weight, bounciness, colour, etc. differ according to the game
Ball
Any sport or game involving a ball; its play, literally or figuratively.
Ball
A pitch that falls outside of the strike zone.
Ball
An opportunity to launch the pinball into play.
If you get to a million points, you get another ball.
Ball
A single delivery by the bowler, six of which make up an over.
Ball
A pass; a kick of the football towards a teammate.
Ball
A testicle.
Ball
(in the plural) Nonsense.
That’s a load of balls, and you know it!
Ball
(in the plural) Courage.
I doubt he’s got the balls to tell you off.
Ball
A leather-covered cushion, fastened to a handle called a ballstock; formerly used by printers for inking the form, then superseded by the roller.
Ball
A large pill, a form in which medicine was given to horses; a bolus.
Ball
One thousand US dollars.
Ball
A formal dance.
Ball
(informal) A very enjoyable time.
I had a ball at that concert.
Ball
A competitive event among young African-American and Latin American LGBTQ+ people in which prizes are awarded for drag and similar performances. See ball culture.
Ball
(transitive) To form or wind into a ball.
To ball cotton
Ball
(metalworking) To heat in a furnace and form into balls for rolling.
Ball
(ambitransitive) To gather balls which cling to the feet, as of damp snow or clay; to gather into balls.
The horse balls
The snow balls
Ball
(university slang) To reject from a fraternity or sorority. (blackball)
Ball
To play basketball.
Ball
(transitive) To punish by affixing a ball and chain.
Ball
(Australian rules football) An appeal by the crowd for holding the ball against a tackled player. This is heard almost any time an opposition player is tackled, without regard to whether the rules about "prior opportunity" to dispose of the ball are fulfilled.
Ball
Any round or roundish body or mass; a sphere or globe; as, a ball of twine; a ball of snow.
Ball
A spherical body of any substance or size used to play with, as by throwing, knocking, kicking, etc.
Ball
A general name for games in which a ball is thrown, kicked, or knocked. See Baseball, and Football.
Ball
Any solid spherical, cylindrical, or conical projectile of lead or iron, to be discharged from a firearm; as, a cannon ball; a rifle ball; - often used collectively; as, powder and ball. Spherical balls for the smaller firearms are commonly called bullets.
Ball
A flaming, roundish body shot into the air; a case filled with combustibles intended to burst and give light or set fire, or to produce smoke or stench; as, a fire ball; a stink ball.
Ball
A leather-covered cushion, fastened to a handle called a ballstock; - formerly used by printers for inking the form, but now superseded by the roller.
Ball
A roundish protuberant portion of some part of the body; as, the ball of the thumb; the ball of the foot.
Ball
A large pill, a form in which medicine is commonly given to horses; a bolus.
Ball
The globe or earth.
Move round the dark terrestrial ball.
Ball
A pitched ball, not struck at by the batter, which fails to pass over the home plate at a height not greater than the batter's shoulder nor less than his knee (i.e. it is outside the strike zone). If the pitcher pitches four balls before three strikes are called, the batter advances to first base, and the action of pitching four balls is called a walk.
Ball
A testicle; usually used in the plural.
Ball
Courage; nerve.
Ball
A social assembly for the purpose of dancing; - usually applied to an occasion lavish or formal.
Ball
A very enjoyable time; as, we had a ball at the wedding.
Ball
To gather balls which cling to the feet, as of damp snow or clay; to gather into balls; as, the horse balls; the snow balls.
Ball
To heat in a furnace and form into balls for rolling.
Ball
To form or wind into a ball; as, to ball cotton.
Ball
Round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games;
The ball travelled 90 mph on his serve
The mayor threw out the first ball
The ball rolled into the corner pocket
Ball
A solid ball shot by a musket;
They had to carry a ramrod as well as powder and ball
Ball
An object with a spherical shape;
A ball of fire
Ball
The people assembled at a lavish formal dance;
The ball was already emptying out before the fire alarm sounded
Ball
One of the two male reproductive glands that produce spermatozoa and secrete androgens;
She kicked him in the balls and got away
Ball
A spherical object used as a plaything;
He played with his rubber ball in the bathtub
Ball
United States comedienne best known as the star of a popular television program (1911-1989)
Ball
A compact mass;
A ball of mud caught him on the shoulder
Ball
A lavish formal dance
Ball
A more or less rounded anatomical body or mass; ball of the human foot or ball at the base of the thumb;
He stood on the balls of his feet
Ball
A ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of 9 players; teams take turns at bat trying to score run;
He played baseball in high school
There was a baseball game on every empy lot
There was a desire for National League ball in the area
Play ball!
Ball
A pitch that is not in the strike zone;
He threw nine straight balls before the manager yanked him
Ball
Form into a ball by winding or rolling;
Ball wool
Common Curiosities
What is a boll?
A boll is the seed capsule of plants like cotton.
Do bolls grow on all plants?
No, only on certain plants like cotton.
Are all balls round?
Yes, balls are typically spherical.
What is a ball?
A ball is a spherical object used in games, sports, or as parts in machinery.
Where are bolls found?
Bolls are found on plants, particularly cotton plants.
What happens to bolls after harvesting?
They are processed to extract cotton fibers and seeds.
Can balls vary in size?
Yes, balls come in many sizes, from tiny marbles to large exercise balls.
What sports use balls?
Many sports, including football, basketball, tennis, and golf.
How are bolls harvested?
Bolls are usually harvested by hand or with machines in cotton fields.
What is inside a cotton boll?
Cotton fibers and seeds are inside a cotton boll.
Are bolls used in any industry?
Yes, especially in the textile industry for cotton production.
Do bolls have any other uses besides cotton production?
They are primarily used for cotton, but research explores other potential uses.
Are balls used in machinery?
Yes, ball bearings are a common component in many machines.
What materials are balls made of?
Balls can be made of rubber, leather, plastic, and other materials.
Can balls be used for exercise?
Yes, like in yoga or Pilates with exercise balls.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
