Bulb

Bulb (?), n. [L. bulbus, Gr. : cf. F. bulbe.]

1. (Bot.) A spheroidal body growing from a plant either above or below the ground (usually below), which is strictly a bud, consisting of a cluster of partially developed leaves, and producing, as it grows, a stem above, and roots below, as in the onion, tulip, etc. It differs from a corm in not being solid.

2. (Anat.) A name given to some parts that resemble in shape certain bulbous roots; as, the bulb of the aorta. Bulb of the eye, the eyeball. -- Bulb of a hair, the root," or part whence the hair originates. -- Bulb of the spinal cord, the medulla oblongata, often called simply bulb. -- Bulb of a tooth, the vascular and nervous papilla contained in the cavity of the tooth.

3. An expansion or protuberance on a stem or tube, as the bulb of a thermometer, which may be of any form, as spherical, cylindrical, curved, etc. Tomlinson.

Bulb

Bulb, v. i. To take the shape of a bulb; to swell.
Bulbaceous
Bul*ba"ceous (?), a. [L. bulbaceus. See Bulb, n.] Bulbous. Jonson.

Bulbar

Bulb"ar (?), a. Of or pertaining to bulb; especially, in medicine, pertaining to the bulb of the spinal cord, or medulla oblongata; as, bulbar paralysis.

Bulbed

Bulbed (?), a. Having a bulb; round-headed.

Bulbel

Bulb"el (?), n. [Dim., fr. bulb, n.] (Bot.) A separable bulb formed on some flowering plants.

Bulbiferous

Bul*bif"er*ous (?), a. [Bulb,n.+ -ferous: cf. F. bulbif\'8are.] (Bot.) Producing bulbs.

Bulblet

Bulb"let (?), n. [Bulb,n.+ -let.] (Bot.) A small bulb, either produced on a larger bulb, or on some aërial part of a plant, as in the axils of leaves in the tiger lily, or replacing the flowers in some kinds of onion.

Bulbose

Bul*bose" (?), a. Bulbous.

Bulbo-tuber

Bul"bo-tu`ber (?), n. [Bulb,n.+ tuber.] (Bot.) A corm.

Bulbous

Bulb"ous (?), a. [L. bulbosus: cf. F. bulbeux. See Bulb, n.] Having or containing bulbs, or a bulb; growing from bulbs; bulblike in shape or structure.

Bulbul

Bul"bul (?), n. [Per.] (Zoöl.) The Persian nightingale (Pycnonotus jocosus). The name is also applied to several other Asiatic singing birds, of the family Timaliidæ. The green bulbuls belong to the Chloropsis and allied genera. [Written also buhlbuhl.]

Bulbule

Bul"bule (?), n. [L. bulbulus, dim. of bulbus. See Bulb, n.] A small bulb; a bulblet.

Bulchin

Bul"chin (?), n. [Dim. of bull.] A little bull.

Bulge

Bulge (?), n. [OE. bulge a swelling; cf. AS. belgan to swell, OSw. bulgja, Icel. blginn swollen, OHG. belgan to swell, G. bulge leathern sack, Skr. bh to be large, strong; the root meaning to swell. Cf. Bilge, Belly, Billow, Bouge, n.]

1. The bilge or protuberant part of a cask.

2. A swelling, protuberant part; a bending outward, esp. when caused by pressure; as, a bulge in a wall.

3. (Naut.) The bilge of a vessel. See Bilge, 2. Bulge ways. (Naut.) See Bilge ways.

Bulge

Bulge, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bulged (); p. pr. & vb.n. Bulging.]

1. To swell or jut out; to bend outward, as a wall when it yields to pressure; to be protuberant; as, the wall bulges.

2. To bilge, as a ship; to founder.

And scattered navies bulge on distant shores. Broome.

Bulgy

Bul"gy (?), a. Bulged; bulging; bending, or tending to bend, outward. [Colloq.]

Bulimia, Bulimy

Bu*lim"i*a (?), Bu"li*my (?), n. [NL. bulimia, fr. Gr. , lit., ox-hunger; ox + hunger: cf. F. boulimie.] (Med.) A disease in which there is a perpetual and insatiable appetite for food; a diseased and voracious appetite.
Bulimus
Bu*li"mus (?), n. [L. bulimus hunger. See Bulimy.] (Zoöl.) A genus of land snails having an elongated spiral shell, often of large size. The species are numerous ingabundant in tropical America.
Bulk
Bulk (?), n. [OE. bulke, bolke, heap; cf. Dan. bulk lump, clod, OSw. bolk crowd, mass, Icel. blkast to be bulky. Cf. Boll, n., Bile a boil, Bulge, n.]
1. Magnitude of material substance; dimensions; mass; size; as, an ox or ship of great bulk.
Against these forces there were prepared near one hundred ships; not so great of bulk indeed, but of a more nimble motion, and more serviceable. Bacon.

2. The main mass or body; the largest or principal portion; the majority; as, the bulk of a debt.
The bulk of the people must labor, Burke told them, to obtain what by labor can be obtained." J. Morley.

3. (Naut.) The cargo of a vessel when stowed.
4. The body. [Obs.] Shak.
My liver leaped within my bulk. Turbervile.
Barrel bulk. See under Barrel. -- To break bulk (Naut.), to begin to unload or more the cargo. -- In bulk, in a mass; loose; not inclosed in separate packages or divided into separate parts; in such shape that any desired quantity may be taken or sold. -- Laden in bulk, Stowed in bulk, having the cargo loose in the hold or not inclosed in boxes, bales, or casks. -- Sale by bulk, a sale of goods as they are, without weight or measure. Syn. -- Size; magnitude; dimension; volume; bigness; largeness; massiveness.
Bulk
Bulk (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bulked (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bulking.] To appear or seem to be, as to bulk or extent; to swell.
The fame of Warburton possibly bulked larger for the moment. Leslie Stephen.

Bulk
Bulk, n. [Icel. bālkr a beam, partition. Cf. Balk, n. & v.] A projecting part of a building. [Obs.]
Here, stand behind this bulk. Shak.

Bulker
Bulk"er (?), n. (Naut.) A person employed to ascertain the bulk or size of goods, in order to fix the amount of freight or dues payable on them.
Bulkhead
Bulk"head` (?), n. [See Bulk part of a building.]
1. (Naut.) A partition in a vessel, to separate apartments on the same deck.
2. A structure of wood or stone, to resist the pressure of earth or water; a partition wall or structure, as in a mine; the limiting wall along a water front. Bulked line, a line beyond which a wharf must not project; -- usually, the harbor line.
Bulkiness
Bulk"i*ness (?), n. Greatness in bulk; size.
Bulky
Bulk"y (?), a. Of great bulk or dimensions; of great size; large; thick; massive; as, bulky volumes.
A bulky digest of the revenue laws. Hawthorne.

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. (Zoöl.) The male of any species of cattle (Bovidæ); hence, the male of any large quadruped, as the elephant; also, the male of the whale. &hand; 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.
Bull
Bull, a. Of or pertaining to a bull; resembling a bull; male; large; fierce. Bull bat (Zoöl.), 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 (Zoöl.), the chub mackerel. -- Bull pump (Mining), a direct single-acting pumping engine, in which the steam cylinder is placed above the pump. -- Bull snake (Zoöl.), 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.
Bull
Bull, v. i. To be in heat; to manifest sexual desire as cows do. [Colloq.]
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.
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.
Bulla
Bul"la (?), n.; pl. Bullæ (). [L. bulla bubble. See Bull an edict.]
1. (Med.) A bleb; a vesicle, or an elevation of the cuticle, containing a transparent watery fluid.
2. (Anat.) The ovoid prominence below the opening of the ear in the skulls of many animals; as, the tympanic or auditory bulla.
3. A leaden seal for a document; esp. the round leaden seal attached to the papal bulls, which has on one side a representation of St. Peter and St. Paul, and on the other the name of the pope who uses it.
4. (Zoöl.) A genus of marine shells. See Bubble shell.
Bullace
Bul"lace (?), n. [OE. bolas, bolace, OF. beloce; of Celtic origin; cf. Arm. bolos, polos, Gael. bulaistear.] (Bot.) (a) A small European plum (Prunus communis, var. insitita). See Plum. (b) The bully tree.
Bullantic
Bul*lan"tic (?), a. [See Bull an edict.] Pertaining to, or used in, papal bulls. Fry. Bullantic letters, Gothic letters used in papal bulls.
Bullary
Bul"la*ry (?), n. [LL. bullarium: cf. F. bullairie. See Bull an edict.] A collection of papal bulls.
Bullary
Bul"la*ry, n.; pl. Bullaries (#). [Cf. Boilary.] A place for boiling or preparating salt; a boilery. Crabb.
And certain salt fats or bullaries. Bills in Chancery.

Bullate
Bul"late (?), a. [L. bullatus, fr. bulla bubble.] (Biol.) Appearing as if blistered; inflated; puckered. Bullate leaf (Bot.), a leaf, the membranous part of which rises between the veins puckered elevations convex on one side and concave on the other.
Bullbeggar
Bull"beg`gar (?), n. Something used or suggested to produce terror, as in children or persons of weak mind; a bugbear.
And being an ill-looked fellow, he has a pension from the church wardens for being bullbeggar to all the forward children in the parish. Mountfort (1691).

Bull brier
Bull" bri`er (?). (Bot.) A species of Smilax (S. Pseudo-China) growing from New Jersey to the Gulf of Mexico, which has very large tuberous and farinaceous rootstocks, formerly used by the Indians for a sort of bread, and by the negroes as an ingredient in making beer; -- called also bamboo brier and China brier.
Bullcomber
Bull"comb*er (?), n. (Zoöl.) A scaraboid beetle; esp. the Typhæus vulgaris of Europe.
Bulldog
Bull"dog` (?), n.
1. (Zoöl.) A variety of dog, of remarkable ferocity, courage, and tenacity of grip; -- so named, probably, from being formerly employed in baiting bulls.
2. (Metal.) A refractory material used as a furnace lining, obtained by calcining the cinder or slag from the puddling furnace of a rolling mill.
Bulldog
Bull"dog`, a. Characteristic of, or like, a bulldog; stubborn; as, bulldog courage; bulldog tenacity. Bulldog bat (zo'94l.), a bat of the genus Nyctinomus; -- so called from the shape of its face.
Bulldoze
Bull"doze` (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bulldozed (#); p. pr. & vb.n. Bulldozing.] To intimidate; to restrain or coerce by intimidation or violence; -- used originally of the intimidation of negro voters, in Louisiana. [Slang, U.S.]
Bulldozer
Bull"do`zer (?), n. One who bulldozes. [Slang]
Bulled
Bulled (?), a. [Cf. Boln.] Swollen. [Obs.]
Bullen-bullen
Bul"len-bul"len (?), n. [Native Australian name, from its cry.] (Zoöl.) The lyre bird.
Bullen-nail
Bul"len-nail` (?), n. [Bull large, having a large head + nail.] A nail with a round head and short shank, tinned and lacquered.
Bullet
Bul"let (?), n. [F. boulet, dim. of boule ball. See Bull an edict, and cf. Boulet.]
1. A small ball.
2. A missile, usually of lead, and round or elongated in form, to be discharged from a rifle, musket, pistol, or other small firearm.
3. A cannon ball. [Obs.]
A ship before Greenwich . . . shot off her ordnance, one piece being charged with a bullet of stone. Stow.

4. The fetlock of a horse. [See Illust. under Horse.]
Bullet-proof
Bul"let-proof` (?), a. Capable of resisting the force of a bullet. Bullet tree. See Bully tree. -- Bullet wood, the wood of the bullet tree.
Bulletin
Bul"le*tin (?), n. [F. bulletin, fr. It. bullettino, dim. of bulletta, dim. of bulla, bolla, an edict of the pope, from L. bulla bubble. See Bull an edict.]
1. A brief statement of facts respecting some passing event, as military operations or the health of some distinguished personage, issued by authority for the information of the public.
2. Any public notice or announcement, especially of news recently received.
3. A periodical publication, especially one containing the proceeding of a society. Bulletin board, a board on which announcements are put, particularly at newsrooms, newspaper offices, etc.
Bullfaced
Bull"faced` (?), a. Having a large face.
Bullfeast
Bull"feast` (?), n. See Bullfight. [Obs.]
Bullfight, Bullfighting
Bull"fight` (?), Bull"fight`ing, n. A barbarous sport, of great antiquity, in which men torment, and fight with, a bull or bulls in an arena, for public amusement, -- still popular in Spain. -- Bull"fight`er (), n.
Bullfinch
Bull"finch` (?), n. (Zoöl.) A bird of the genus Pyrrhula and other related genera, especially the P. vulgaris or rubicilla, a bird of Europe allied to the grosbeak, having the breast, cheeks, and neck, red. &hand; As a cage bird it is highly valued for its remarkable power of learning to whistle correctly various musical airs. Crimson-fronted bullfinch. (Zoöl.) See Burion. -- Pine bullfinch, the pine finch.
Bullfist, Bullfice
Bull"fist (?), Bull"fice (?), n. [Cf. G. bofist, AS. wulfes fist puffball, E. fizz, foist.] (Bot.) A kind of fungus. See Puffball.
Bull fly or Bullfly
Bull" fly` or Bull"fly` (?), n. (Zoöl.) Any large fly troublesome to cattle, as the gadflies and breeze flies.
Bullfrog
Bull"frog` (?), n. (Zoöl.) A very large species of frog (Rana Catesbiana), found in North America; -- so named from its loud bellowing in spring.
Bullhead
Bull"head` (?), n.
1. (Zoöl.) (a) A fresh-water fish of many species, of the genus Uranidea, esp. U. gobio of Europe, and U. Richardsoni of the United States; -- called also miller's thumb. (b) In America, several species of Amiurus; -- called also catfish, horned pout, and bullpout. (c) A marine fish of the genus Cottus; the sculpin.
2. (Zoöl.) (a) The black-bellied plover (Squatarola helvetica); -- called also beetlehead. (b) The golden plover.
3. A stupid fellow; a lubber. [Colloq.] Jonson.
4. (Zoöl.) A small black water insect. E. Phillips. Bullhead whiting (Zoöl.), the kingfish of Florida (Menticirrus alburnus).