Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Bollard \Bol"lard\, n. [Cf. {Bole} the stem of a tree, and
   {Pollard}.]
   An upright wooden or iron post in a boat or on a dock, used
   in veering or fastening ropes.

   {Bollard timber} (Naut.), a timber, also called a knighthead,
      rising just within the stem in a ship, on either side of
      the bowsprit, to secure its end.