bolgia

B3O1L1G2I1A1
/ˈboʊldʒə/

noun

Any of the divisions of the eighth circle of Hell, Malebolge, in Dante's Divine Comedy.

OriginItalian bolgia ← Old French bolge ← Late Latin bulga →
Scrabble 9
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Meanings

nounbolgia (plural bolgias or bolge)

plural bolgias · plural bolge

  1. Any of the divisions of the eighth circle of Hell, Malebolge, in Dante's Divine Comedy.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰelǵʰ-“to swell”
  2. Proto-Celtic*bolgos“sack, bag”
  3. Gaulishbolgā
  4. Late Latinbulga“wallet, purse”
  5. Old Frenchbolge
  6. Italianbolgia“ditch, trench”
  7. Englishbolgia

Unadapted borrowing from Italian bolgia (“ditch, trench”), from Old French bolge, bouge, from Late Latin bulga (“wallet, purse”), from Gaulish bolgā, from Proto-Celtic *bolgos (“sack, bag”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵʰ- (“to swell”). Doublet of budge and bulge.

More words from Italian, Old French, Late Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Baglio
Cite this entry
APA

bolgia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bolgia

MLA

“bolgia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bolgia. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bolgia,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bolgia.

Source: bolgia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.