Bou-gíe', n.

(bōō-zhē'), n. [Fr. bougie, wax-candle, bougie, Pr. bogia, Sp., Pg., & It. bugia, from Bugia, a town of North Africa, from which these candles were first imported into Europe.] (Surg.) A long, flexible instrument, that is introduced into the urethra, esophagus, &c., to remove obstructions, or for other purposes. It was originally made of slips of waxed linen, coiled into a cylindrical or slightly conical form by rolling them on any hard, smooth surface.