bølle

Etymology 1

From a gang called bøllesjakket, which took its name from its haunt, Bøllemosen (situated north of Copenhagen), which is again named after the plant bølle. The word was coined in 1885.

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *bulljō, from Proto-Indo-European *bhljā (“testicle”), probably because of the similarity of the berry to testicles.

References

• Politikens Nudansk Ordbog med etymologi, 3rd ed. (c) 2005.
• “bølle” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “bølle,2” in Den Danske Ordbog

Etymology

From the Danish name Bøllemose, a place where a band of misbehaving boys from Copenhagen would hang out. Term coined in 1885.

Noun

bølle f, m (definite singular bølla or bøllen, indefinite plural bøller, definite plural bøllene)

1. brute; a brutish person
2. rascal; a trickster, troublemaker.

Verb

bølle (present tense bøller, past tense bølla or bøllet, past participle bølla or bøllet)

1. Act like a brute
2. benignly harassing

References

• “bølle” in The Bokmål Dictionary.