Arch. Also 5 boltell, 5–9 bowtel(l, 6–7 bou(l)tell, boultle, 8 boultine, 9 boutel. [Conjectured to be f. BOLT sb.1 ‘from its resemblance to the shaft of an arrow or bolt’ (Gloss. Archit.); but as bolt is a Teutonic word, and -el of Fr. origin, the conjecture is hazardous.]
An old name for a plain round molding; a shaft of a clustered pillar.
1463. Bury Wills (1850), 39. To sette here ageyn the bowtell there hire light stant.
1565. Cooper, Thesaurus, s.v. Stria, The boltell or thing that riseth up betwene the two chanels.
1677. Moxon, Mech. Exerc. (1703), 267. Ovolo, or Boltel.
1738. Chambers, Cycl., Boultine or Boltel, in architecture, the workman’s term for a convex moulding, whose periphery is just 1/4 of a circle.
1848. T. Rickman, Archit., xvii. The mouldings are good Norman, consisting merely of plain rounds, or boutells.
1849. Freeman, Archit., 381. We sometimes find such shafts or bowtels, with bases.
1876. Gwilt, Archit., Gloss., Bowtel or Boltel.
Hence Boltelled ppl. a., molded with boltels.
1575. Laneham, Lett., 50. Each windo … parted from oother … by flat fayr bolteld columns.
1611. Cotgr., Embouti, boultled; raised into, wrought with boultles.
