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.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)