A bollard is a sturdy, short, vertical post. The term originally referred to a post on a ship or quay used principally for mooring boats.

What does bollards mean in England?

1 : a post of metal or wood on a wharf around which to fasten mooring lines. 2 : bitt sense 1. 3 chiefly British : any of a series of short posts set at intervals to delimit an area (such as a traffic island) or to exclude vehicles.

Why is it called a bollard?

Etymology. The term is probably related to bole, meaning a tree trunk. The earliest citation given by the Oxford English Dictionary (referring to a maritime bollard) dates from 1844, although a reference in the Caledonian Mercury in 1817 describes bollards as huge posts.