Forms: 3–4 boille, boili, boile(n, 4–7 boyle, 5–6 boyll, 6–7 boyl, 7 boile, 6– boil. Also 4 buyle, ? bayl, ? bele, 5 bule, bulle, bylle, byle, 5–6 boll, 6 Sc. bull. [ME. boille-n, boile-n, a. OF. boill-ir (boill-ant), mod.F. bouillir:—L. bullī-re to form bubbles, to boil.]
1. intr. Of a liquid: To bubble up in agitation through the action of heat causing the lowest portions of the liquid to pass into the gaseous form and escape; to roll about under the influence of heat; also said of the vessel containing the liquid.
b. To reach the boiling point, to turn from the liquid into the gaseous state. To boil over: to bubble up so as to run over the side of the vessel; also said of the vessel. Cf. run over, overflow, etc.
a. 1225. Juliana, 172. Þis maide isei þis led boili.
a. 1225. St. Marg., 247. He let hete water oð scoþinge; & þo hit boillede faste.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 11886. Þai fild a lede o pik and oyle, And fast þai did it for to boile.
1393. Gower, Conf., III. 32. Which hath ever his pottes hote Of love boilend on the fire.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 43. Boylyn ouyr, as pottys on þe fyre, ebullio.
1611. Bible, Isa. lxiv. 2. The fire causeth the waters to boyle.
1813. Domestic Cookery, 249. Room (for the liquor) to boil as quick as possible, without boiling over.
1860. Tyndall, Glac., II. § 24. 356. Water deprived of its air will not boil at 212° Fahr.
1875. Jowett, Plato (ed. 2), I. 53. Putting in anything that we like while the pot is boiling.
2. transf. To move with an agitation like that of boiling water; to bubble, to seethe. Also said of that from which something gushes tumultuously: To overflow with.
c. 1300. K. Alis., 2464. Me myghte y-seo … Heorten blede, braynes boyle.
1382. Wyclif, Job xli. 22. He shal make the depthe of the se to boilen as a pot. Ibid., 2 Macc. ix. 9. Wormes buyliden out of the body of the vnpyteous man. Ibid. (1388), Ex. xvi. 20. It bigan to buyle with wormes, and it was rotun.
1526. Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 291 b. Myghty newe wyne … boyleth upward, as though it wolde brast the vessell.
1616. R. C., Times’ Whis., v. 2061. When the poyson boylde In every veine.
1670. Cotton, Espernon, II. VI. 253. His blood boiling in great quantities out of his mouth.
1725. Pope, Odyss., III. 357. The storm thickens, and the billows boil.
1820. Southey, Lodore, 93. Recoiling, turmoiling and toiling and boiling.
b. To undulate like a boiling fluid.
1882. Observatory, V. 355. The Sun’s limb was boiling all about it.
3. fig. Said of passions, persons under the influence of passion, their words, etc. Also to boil over. Cf. The blood boils in 10 b.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Pers. T., ¶ 272. The brennyng of lecchery boylid in al his body.
1393. Gower, Conf., I. 294. So boilen up the foule sawes.
1548. Udall, etc., Erasm. Par. Luke xii. 58. Whan his herte thus boiled.
1577. Hanmer, Anc. Eccl. Hist. (1619), 499. The people … boiled with anger.
1625. N. R., trans. Camden’s Hist. Eliz., I. (1635), 88. O’Neal … boyled in hatred against the English.
1667. Milton, P. L., IV. 16. His dire attempt, which nigh the birth Now rowling, boiles in his tumultuous brest.
1761–2. Hume, Hist. Eng. (1806), IV. li. 60. Resentment was boiling in his sullen, unsociable mind.
1875. Jowett, Plato (ed. 2), III. 55. He cannot chafe or boil or get into a state of righteous indignation.
1879. Froude, Cæsar, xvii. 288. The political frenzy was now boiling over.
b. trans. To boil forth: to give forth in a boiling or agitated manner.
1609. Bible (Douay), Prov. xv. 2. The mouth of fooles boyleth forth follie.
4. trans. To cause (a liquid) to bubble with heat (see sense 1); to bring to the boiling point: esp. said of food, wholly or partly liquid, in the process of cooking; also of the containing vessel.
c. 1420. Liber Cocorum, 11. Boyle hit and sture lest hit brenne.
a. 1500. E. E. Misc. (1855), 34. Sume byllyd mettayl.
1692. Lond. Gaz., No. 2800/4. The Copper boyls betwixt 15 and 16 Hogsheads at a time.
1831. Carlyle, Sart. Res., II. ix. As kind housewives … were boiling their husbands’ kettles.
b. intr. (for refl.) Cf. to eat, cut, etc.
1845. Eliza Acton, Cookery, xxi. (1852), 493. The fruit should be finely flavoured, and … should boil easily.
† 5. fig. To agitate and inflame, to make fervent (persons or their feelings). Obs.
1648. Eikon Basilike, 115. Let no fire of affliction boil over my passion to any impatience.
a. 1661. Holyday, Juvenal, 237. Wrath boils thy breast!
a. 1704. T. Brown, Dk. Ormond’s Recov., Wks. I. 49. What lust of power, or what nefarious charms, Ferment your blood, or boil you into arms?
6. To act upon (anything) by continued immersion in boiling liquid; to subject to heat in boiling water. a. To cook (solid articles) in this way; b. To cleanse (clothes, etc.) by immersion in boiling water; c. To prepare, make or produce by boiling. d. To put to death by boiling.
c. 1325. Coer de L., 2831. In watyr we baylyd the blood.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Prol., 383. A Cook they hadde … To boille the chiknes with the Marybones … He koude rooste and sethe and boille and frye.
1556. Chron. Gr. Friars (1852), 45. The x. day of March was a mayde boyllyd in Smythfelde for poysynyng of dyvers persons.
1611. Bible, Ezek. xlvi. 20. The place where the Priests shall boyle the trespasse offring.
1641. J. Jackson, True Evang. T., II. 107. He is … a Kid … boyled in his Mothers milk.
1696. Lond. Gaz., No. 3145/4. A silver-hilted Sword … was lately Boiled, and the Handle gilt.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Georg., I. 380. Some steep their Seed, and some in Cauldrons boil.
1842. Penny Cycl., XXIII. 232. The important improvement of boiling sugar in vacuo.
1842. Tennyson, Stylites, 51. Martyrs … were stoned, or crucified, Or burn’d in fire, or boiled in oil.
1865. Tylor, Early Hist. Man., i. Modes of making fire and boiling food.
7. intr. To undergo the action produced by immersion in boiling liquid.
1633. P. Fletcher, Purple Isl., I. lvii. Boyling in sulphur, and hot-bubbling pitch.
1813. Dom. Cookery, VIII. 185. Set it [rice] to boil in milk.
8. To boil away (intr.): to evaporate in boiling. To boil down: to lessen the bulk of (anything) by boiling; fig. to condense, epitomize.
1845. Eliza Acton, Mod. Cookery, xxi. (1852), 464. For jams and jellies it [fruit] cannot be too soon boiled down.
1880. Sat. Rev., No. 1288. 28. It is surprising to see how much research Mr. S. has sometimes contrived to boil down into a single line.
† 9. slang. To betray. Obs.
1602. Rowlands, Greene’s Cony-catchers, 16. His cloyer or follower forth with boyles him, that is, bewrayes him.
1611. Middleton & Dekker, Roar. Girle, Wks. 1873, III. 220. Wee are smoakt … Wee are boyl’d, pox on her!
10. Phrases. a. To boil the pot: to supply one’s livelihood. So to keep the pot boiling: also = to keep anything going. Cf. POT.
1808. Wolcott (P. Pindar), Peep at R. Acad., Wks. 1812, V. 352. I think this Piece will help to boil the pot.
1837. Marryat, Dog-fiend, ix. Huzza, my lads! we’ll keep the pot boiling.
b. The blood boils: phrase expressing strong emotion, esp. of anger or indignation.
1675. Otway, Alcibiades, 38. I am impatient, and my blood boyls high.
1848. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., I. 230. The thought of such intervention made the blood, even of the Cavaliers, boil in their veins.
1859. Jephson, Brittany, xv. 248. A sight which made his blood boil.
