I. ˈbu̇l noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English bule, from Old English bula; akin to Old English bulluc young bull, Middle Low German bulle bull, Old Norse boli bull, Old English blāwan to blow — more at blow
1.
a. : a sexually mature uncastrated male of any wild or domesticated animal of the genus Bos
b. : a male especially when sexually mature of any of various other large mammals (as of the elephant, moose, elk, whale, or seal)
c. : any of certain other large male animals (as a male terrapin or alligator)
2.
a. : one who operates on a stock, commodity, or produce exchange in expectation of a rise in the price of securities or commodities or in order to effect such a rise — compare bear
b. : a person with an optimistic attitude as to the course of events, especially as to business
3. : one that resembles or is likened to a bull (as in size, strength, or loud roaring): as
a. : a large powerful often somewhat stolid and clumsy person
b. : an elephant whether male or female — used chiefly of elephants semidomesticated in circuses and zoos
c. or bull of the woods : foreman , straw boss , supervisor — used especially of a working foreman in a lumber camp
d. : an ox or steer especially when used for draft
4. slang Britain : a crown piece
5.
[by shortening]
a. : bull's-eye 5
b. : bulldog
6. slang : policeman , detective
II. adjective
Etymology: Middle English bule, from bule, n.
1. : male
a bull calf
2.
a. : of or relating to a bull
tough bull beef
b. : like or like that of a bull
a strong bull back
3.
a. : large of its kind
a bull ladle
a bull lathe
b. : coarse , harsh
a bull screen
a heavy bull voice
4.
a. of markets : rising ; especially : marked by the activities of bulls
b. : acting as a bull in the markets
a bull pool of speculators
III. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English bulen, from bule, n.
intransitive verb
1. of a cow or heifer : to be in heat : take the bull
2.
a. : to behave like a bull ; especially : to press on or advance vigorously
b. : to advance in price — used especially of stocks and speculative commodities or of markets dealing in these
transitive verb
1. of a bull : to serve (a cow or heifer)
2. : to try to raise the market price of (as stocks or bonds) ; sometimes : to try to raise prices in (a market)
3.
a. : to enforce or bring into existence against opposition — usually used with through
they had decided to bull through a demand for outright repeal — Helen Fuller
b. : to act on with or as if with the physical violence of a bull
he bulled his opponent all over the ring
•
- bull one's way
IV. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English bulle, from Medieval Latin bulla, from Latin bulla bubble, amulet — more at poll (head)
1. : bulla 2
2. : a papal letter distinguished from other apostolic letters by being sealed with a bulla or with a red-ink imprint of the device on the bulla, by being written on parchment and in the third person, by opening with the pope's name and the formula “Bishop, servant of the servants of God”, and by significance of subject matter
3. : an edict (as of the Holy Roman Empire) or other formal and supposedly authoritative statement
bulls issued by certain groups of professional educators — H.J.Fuller
V. noun
( -s )
Etymology: perhaps from obsolete bull to make fun of, mock, probably from Middle French bouler to deceive, cheat, roll, from boule ball — more at bowl
1. obsolete : an absurd jest
2.
a. : a grotesque blunder in language (as in “his brother and sister are much alike, especially his sister”) ; especially : irish bull
b. : a serious error : a bad or sometimes ludicrous blunder
3. slang
a. : trivial and commonly boastful and inaccurate talk
sat there shooting the bull
b. : something regarded as undesirable, superfluous, or incorrect
that's bull , I'll tell you the whole story
this business of sending flowers and things like that is the bull — Jerome Weidman
Synonyms: see error
VI. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
intransitive verb
1. slang : to talk bull : blow
2. : to act blunderingly ; sometimes : balk
transitive verb
slang : to fool or bemuse especially by fast talking and bull
VII. noun
( -s )
Etymology: origin unknown
: a weak drink made by pouring water into an emptied spirit cask or rinsing out a sugar bag
VIII. noun
or bull board
( -s )
Etymology: origin unknown
: a game that resembles quoits and is often played on shipboard
IX. abbreviation
bulletin