Emily Dickinson Lexicon

bowl (-s), n. [OE bolla, swell; NW cites L. vola, 'hollow of the hand'.]

1. Basin; cirque; valley; natural trough; sloping stretch of land; plain ringed by hills; [fig.] bloodshed; carnage; death; tomb; cemetery; grave for the slain.
2. Saucer; round dish; circular container; concave vessel to hold liquids; small receptacle more wide than deep; (see Zechariah 9:15); [fig.] moment; minute; short time period.