bol·tel \ˈbōltəl\noun alsobow·telorbow·tellorbou·tell\ˈbōd.əl\ (-s) Etymology: Middle English, perh, from bolt (I) + -el 1.: a torus or ovolo; especially: one just below the abacus in the Tuscan and Roman Doric capital 2.: one of the shafts of a clustered pier