Adjacent Words

Bull definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BULL, n.
1. The male of the Bos, or bovine genus of quadrupeds, of which cow is the female.
2. In a scriptural sense, an enemy,powerful, fierce and violent.
Many bulls have compassed me. Psalms.
3. Taurus, one of the twelve signs of the zodiac.
BULL, n. [L. bulla, a boss, and an ornament worn on a child's neck. This name was given to the seal which was appended to the edicts and briefs of the Pope,and in process of time, applied to the edict itself.]
1. A letter, edict or rescript of the Pope, published or transmitted to the churches over which he is head, containing some decree, order or decision. It is used chiefly in matters of justice or of grace. If the former, the lead or seal is hung by a hempen cord; if the latter,by a silken thread. The lead or bull is impressed on one side with the heads of St. Peter and St. Paul; on the other with the name of the Pope and the year of his pontificate. The writing is in the old, round Gothic letter; and the instrument has about it a cross with some text of scripture, or religious motto.
The Golden Bull, so called from its golden seal, is an edict or imperial constitution, made by the Emperor Charles V., containing the fundamental law of the German Empire.
Leaden Bulls were sent by the Emperors of Constantinople to patriarchs and princes; and by the grandees of the Empire of France, Sicily, etc., and by patriarchs and bishops.
Waxen bulls were in frequent use with the Greek Emperors, who thus sealed letters to their relations.
1. A blunder or contradiction.
BULL, a prefix, signifies a bull, or large, or having a large head.
BULL'-BAITING, n. [bull and bait.] The practice of baiting or exciting bulls with dogs.
BULL'-BEEF, n. [bull and beef.] The flesh of a bull; coarse beef.
BULL'-BEGGAR, n. [bull and beggar.] Something terrible, or frightful.
BULL'-CALF, n. [bull and calf.] A male calf; a stupid fellow.
BULL'-DOG, n. [bull and dog.] A species of dog of a particular form and of remarkable courage; so named probably from being employed in baiting bulls, or from the size of the head.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: uncastrated adult male of domestic cattle
2: a large and strong and heavyset man; "he was a bull of a man"; "a thick-skinned bruiser ready to give as good as he got" [syn: bull, bruiser, strapper, Samson]
3: obscene words for unacceptable behavior; "I put up with a lot of bullshit from that jerk"; "what he said was mostly bull" [syn: bullshit, bull, Irish bull, horseshit, shit, crap, dogshit]
4: a serious and ludicrous blunder; "he made a bad bull of the assignment"
5: uncomplimentary terms for a policeman [syn: bull, cop, copper, fuzz, pig]
6: an investor with an optimistic market outlook; an investor who expects prices to rise and so buys now for resale later [ant: bear]
7: (astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in Taurus [syn: Taurus, Bull]
8: the second sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about April 20 to May 20 [syn: Taurus, Taurus the Bull, Bull]
9: the center of a target [syn: bull's eye, bull]
10: a formal proclamation issued by the pope (usually written in antiquated characters and sealed with a leaden bulla) [syn: bull, papal bull]
11: mature male of various mammals of which the female is called `cow'; e.g. whales or elephants or especially cattle v
1: push or force; "He bulled through his demands" [syn: bull, bull through]
2: try to raise the price of stocks through speculative buying
3: speak insincerely or without regard for facts or truths; "The politician was not well prepared for the debate and faked it" [syn: talk through one's hat, bullshit, bull, fake]
4: advance in price; "stocks were bulling"

Merriam Webster's

biographical name Ole Bornemann 1810-1880 Norwegian violinist

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English bule, from Old English bula; akin to Old Norse boli bull Date: before 12th century 1. a. a male bovine; especially an adult uncastrated male domestic bovine b. a usually adult male of various large animals (as elephants, whales, or seals) 2. one who buys securities or commodities in expectation of a price rise or who acts to effect such a rise — compare bear 3. one that resembles a bull (as in brawny physique) 4. bulldog 5. slang police officer, detective 6. capitalized Taurus II. adjective Date: 13th century 1. a. of or relating to a bull b. male <a bull calf> c. suggestive of a bull 2. large of its kind <a bull lathe> III. verb Date: 1884 intransitive verb to advance forcefully transitive verb 1. to act on with violence 2. force <bulled his way through the crowd> IV. noun Etymology: Middle English bulle, from Medieval Latin bulla, from Latin, bubble, amulet Date: 14th century 1. a solemn papal letter sealed with a bulla or with a red-ink imprint of the device on the bulla 2. edict, decree V. verb Date: 1609 transitive verb slang to fool especially by fast boastful talk intransitive verb slang to engage in idle and boastful talk VI. noun Etymology: perhaps from obsolete bull to mock Date: 1640 1. a grotesque blunder in language 2. slang empty boastful talk 3. slang nonsense 2 VII. abbreviation bulletin

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n., adj., & v. --n. 1 a an uncastrated male bovine animal. b a male of the whale, elephant, and other large animals. 2 (the Bull) the zodiacal sign or constellation Taurus. 3 Brit. the bull's-eye of a target. 4 Stock Exch. a person who buys shares hoping to sell them at a higher price later (cf. BEAR(2)). --adj. like that of a bull (bull neck). --v. 1 tr. & intr. act or treat violently. 2 Stock Exch. a intr. speculate for a rise. b tr. raise price of (stocks, etc.). Phrases and idioms: bull ant Austral. = bulldog ant. bull at a gate a hasty or rash person. bull-fiddle US colloq. a double-bass. bull-horn a megaphone. bull in a china shop a reckless or clumsy person. bull market a market with shares rising in price. bull-nose (or -nosed) with rounded end. bull session US an informal group discussion. bull's-eye 1 the centre of a target. 2 a large hard peppermint-flavoured sweet. 3 a hemisphere or thick disc of glass in a ship's deck or side to admit light. 4 a small circular window. 5 a a hemispherical lens. b a lantern fitted with this. 6 a boss of glass at the centre of a blown glass sheet. bull-terrier 1 a short-haired dog of a breed that is a cross between a bulldog and a terrier. 2 this breed. take the bull by the horns face danger or challenge boldly. Derivatives: bullish adj. Etymology: ME f. ON boli = MLG, MDu bulle 2. n. a papal edict. Etymology: ME f. OF bulle f. L bulla rounded object, in med.L 'seal' 3. n. 1 (also Irish bull) an expression containing a contradiction in terms or implying ludicrous inconsistency. 2 sl. a unnecessary routine tasks or discipline. b nonsense. c trivial or insincere talk or writing. d US a bad blunder (cf. BULLSHIT). Etymology: 17th c.: orig. unkn.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bull Bull, v. i. To be in heat; to manifest sexual desire as cows do. [Colloq.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bull Bull, v. t. (Stock Exchange) To endeavor to raise the market price of; as, to bull railroad bonds; to bull stocks; to bull Lake Shore; to endeavor to raise prices in; as, to bull the market. See 1st Bull, n., 4.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bull Bull, n. [OE. bulle, fr. L. bulla bubble, stud, knob, LL., a seal or stamp: cf. F. bulle. Cf. Bull a writing, Bowl a ball, Boil, v. i.] 1. A seal. See Bulla. 2. A letter, edict, or respect, of the pope, written in Gothic characters on rough parchment, sealed with a bulla, and dated ``a die Incarnationis,'' i. e., ``from the day of the Incarnation.'' See Apostolical brief, under Brief. A fresh bull of Leo's had declared how inflexible the court of Rome was in the point of abuses. --Atterbury. 3. A grotesque blunder in language; an apparent congruity, but real incongruity, of ideas, contained in a form of expression; so called, perhaps, from the apparent incongruity between the dictatorial nature of the pope's bulls and his professions of humility. And whereas the papist boasts himself to be a Roman Catholic, it is a mere contradiction, one of the pope's bulls, as if he should say universal particular; a Catholic schimatic. --Milton. The Golden Bull, an edict or imperial constitution made by the emperor Charles IV. (1356), containing what became the fundamental law of the German empire; -- so called from its golden seal. Syn: See Blunder.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bull Bull, a. Of or pertaining to a bull; resembling a bull; male; large; fierce. Bull bat (Zo["o]l.), the night hawk; -- so called from the loud noise it makes while feeding on the wing, in the evening. Bull calf. (a) A stupid fellow. Bull mackerel (Zo["o]l.), the chub mackerel. Bull pump (Mining), a direct single-acting pumping engine, in which the steam cylinder is placed above the pump. Bull snake (Zo["o]l.), the pine snake of the United States. Bull stag, a castrated bull. See Stag. Bull wheel, a wheel, or drum, on which a rope is wound for lifting heavy articles, as logs, the tools in well boring, etc.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bull Bull, n. [OE. bule, bul, bole; akin to D. bul, G. bulle, Icel. boli, Lith. bullus, Lett. bollis, Russ. vol'; prob. fr. the root of AS. bellan, E. bellow.] 1. (Zo["o]l.) The male of any species of cattle (Bovid[ae]); hence, the male of any large quadruped, as the elephant; also, the male of the whale. Note: The wild bull of the Old Testament is thought to be the oryx, a large species of antelope. 2. One who, or that which, resembles a bull in character or action. --Ps. xxii. 12. 3. (Astron.) (a) Taurus, the second of the twelve signs of the zodiac. (b) A constellation of the zodiac between Aries and Gemini. It contains the Pleiades. At last from Aries rolls the bounteous sun, And the bright Bull receives him. --Thomson. 4. (Stock Exchange) One who operates in expectation of a rise in the price of stocks, or in order to effect such a rise. See 4th Bear, n., 5. Bull baiting, the practice of baiting bulls, or rendering them furious, as by setting dogs to attack them. John Bull, a humorous name for the English, collectively; also, an Englishman. ``Good-looking young John Bull.'' --W. D.Howells. To take the bull by the horns, to grapple with a difficulty instead of avoiding it.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(bulls) 1. A bull is a male animal of the cow family. N-COUNT 2. Some other male animals, including elephants and whales, are called bulls. ...a massive bull elephant with huge tusks. N-COUNT 3. On the stock market, bulls are people who buy shares in expectation of a price rise, in order to make a profit by selling the shares again after a short time. Compare bear. (BUSINESS) N-COUNT 4. If you say that something is bull or a load of bull, you mean that it is complete nonsense or absolutely untrue. (INFORMAL) I think it's a load of bull... 5. see also cock-and-bull story, pit bull terrier 6. If you take the bull by the horns, you do something that you feel you ought to do even though it is difficult, dangerous, or unpleasant. Now is the time for the Chancellor to take the bull by the horns and announce a two per cent cut in interest rates. PHRASE: V inflects 7. like a red rag to a bull: see rag

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Male (usually of bovine animals). 2. Edict (issued by the Pope), rescript. 3. Blunder (involving a contradiction), gross mistake. 4. (Astron.) Taurus. 5. Speculator on a rise, stimulator of the stock-market.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

An Exchange Alley term for one who buys stock on speculation for time, i.e. agrees with the seller, called a Bear, to take a certain sum of stock at a future day, at a stated price: if at that day stock fetches more than the price agreed on, he receives the difference; if it falls or is cheaper, he either pays it, or becomes a lame duck, and waddles out of the Alley. See LAME DUCK and BEAR.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

A blunder; from one Obadiah Bull, a blundering lawyer of London, who lived in the reign of Henery VII. by a bull is now always meant a blunder made by an Irishman. A bull was also the name of false hair formerly much worn by women. To look like bull beef, or as bluff as bull beef; to look fierce or surly. Town bull, a great whore-master.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

A crown piece. A half bull; half a crown.

Moby Thesaurus

Brahman, Dogberry, Indian buffalo, Irish bull, John Law, Pastoral Epistle, aerogram, air letter, airgraph, anacoluthon, andric, appointment, assault, aurochs, babble, balderdash, balls, baloney, bear, bear the market, bear upon, beef, beef cattle, beeves, big, bilge, billet-doux, billy, billy goat, bison, blabber, blague, blah, blah-blah, blather, blatherskite, blooper, bluebottle, bluecoat, blunder, boar, bobby, boner, boost, bop, bosh, bossy, bovine, bovine animal, brevet, bubbly-jock, buck, buffalo, bull account, bull the market, bulldoze, bullock, bullshit, bump, bump against, bungle, bunk, bunkum, bunt, butt, butt against, calf, carabao, catachresis, cattle, chain letter, chanticleer, claptrap, cock, cockerel, commandant, constable, cop, copper, cow, cram, crap, critter, crowd, custodian, dairy cattle, dairy cow, dead letter, declaration, decree, decree-law, decreement, decretal, decretum, dick, dictum, dig, diktat, dimissorial, dimissory letter, dog, dogie, drake, drive, drivel, drool, drop letter, edict, edictum, elbow, encyclical, entire, entire horse, eyewash, fan letter, fat, fiat, flam, flapdoodle, flatfoot, flattie, flimflam, fluff, folk etymology, force, form letter, fuzz, gabble, gammon, gander, gaoler, gas, gendarme, gentlemanlike, gentlemanly, gibber, gibble-gabble, goad, gobbler, governor, grammatical error, great, guard, guardian, guff, gumshoe, gup, hart, he-goat, heifer, hogwash, hoke, hokum, hooey, hornless cow, hot air, humbug, humbuggery, hurtle, husky, hustle, hypercorrection, hyperform, ipse dixit, jab, jabber, jailer, jam, jiggery-pokery, jog, joggle, jolt, jostle, keeper, kine, lapse, law, leppy, letter of credit, letter of introduction, letters credential, letters of marque, letters of request, letters overt, letters patent, letters rogatory, long, long account, long interest, long side, longs, love letter, malaprop, malapropism, malarkey, male, manful, manipulate the market, manlike, manly, mannish, marrowsky, masculine, maverick, milch cow, milcher, milk cow, milker, mispronunciation, missaying, mistake, misusage, monitory, moonshine, muley cow, muley head, musk-ox, neat, newsletter, nixie, nudge, officer, open letter, ordinance, ordonnance, ox, oxen, paddy, pastoral letter, peacock, peeler, peg the market, piffle, pig, pile drive, poison-pen letter, poke, poppycock, prate, prattle, press, principal keeper, prison guard, proclamation, prod, pronouncement, pronunciamento, punch, push, raid the market, ram, ram down, rattle, rescript, rig the market, rooster, rot, round robin, rule, ruling, run, run against, scat, screw, senatus consult, senatus consultum, shake, shamus, shit, shoulder, shove, slip, solecism, spoonerism, stag, stallion, steer, stirk, stot, stress, stud, studhorse, talk nonsense, tamp, the cops, the fuzz, the law, thrust, tom, tom turkey, tomcat, tommyrot, top cow, top horse, trip, tripe, tup, turkey gobbler, turkey-cock, turnkey, twaddle, twattle, ukase, uneffeminate, vapor, waffle, warden, warder, wash sales, wether, whipsaw, wind, wisent, yak, yearling, zebu