E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Bollen.
Swollen. (Anglo - Saxon, bolla, a bowl.) Hence “joints bolnebig” (Golding), and “bolne in pride” (Phaer). The seed capsule or pod of flax is called a “boll.”
1
“The barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled.”—Exod. ix. 31.
