bull

See also: Bull.

English

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bʊl/
  • also (US) IPA^(key): /bl̩/
    • Homophone: bowl

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʊl

Etymology 1

From Middle English bul, bule, from Old English bula (“bull, steer”), from Proto-Germanic *bulô ("bull"; compare West Frisian bolle, Dutch bul, German Bulle, Old Norse boli), from Proto-Indo-European *bhl̥no (compare Old Irish ball (“limb”), Latin follis (“bellows, leather bag”), Thracian βόλινθος (bólinthos, “wild bull”), Albanian "buall" (bull) or related bolle (“testicles”), Ancient Greek φαλλός (phallós, “penis”)), from Proto-Indo-European *bhel (“to blow”). More at blow.

Noun

A statue of a Spanish fighting bull or toro de lidia in Tordesillas, Valladolid, Spain

bull (plural bulls)

1. An adult male of domesticated cattle or oxen.
   1. Specifically, one that is uncastrated.
2. An adult male of certain large mammals, such as whales, elephants and seals.
3. A large, strong man.
4. (finance) An investor who buys (commodities or securities) in anticipation of a rise in prices.
5. (slang) A policeman.
6. (slang, Philadelphia) A male person.

Synonyms

• (slang: male person): guy, dude, bro, cat
• (slang: policeman): cop, copper, pig (derogatory), rozzer (British). See also Wikisaurus:police officer

Antonyms

• (finance: investor who buys in anticipation of a rise in prices): bear

Coordinate terms

• cow, ox, calf, steer

Translations

uncastrated adult male bovine

• Akan: nantwinini m
• Akkadian: 𒋗𒌑𒊒 m (šūru)
• Arabic: ثور m (θawr)

  Egyptian Arabic: تور m (ṭoor)

• Armenian: ցուլ (cʿul)
• Asturian: toru m, bue m
• Basque: zezen (eu)
• Belarusian: бык m (byk)
• Breton: tarv (br) m
• Bulgarian: бик (bg) m (bik)
• Burmese: နွားထီး (my) (nwa-hti:)
• Catalan: toro (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 公牛 (zh) (gōngniú), 特 (zh) (tè)

• Czech: býk (cs) m
• Danish: tyr (da) m
• Dutch: stier (nl) m
• Eblaite: 𒄞𒌉 (šulum)
• Esperanto: virbovo, taŭro
• Ewe: nyitsu
• Faroese: tarvur m
• Finnish: sonni (fi)
• French: taureau (fr) m
• Ge'ez: ሶር (sor)
• Georgian: ხარი (xari)
• German: Bulle (de) m, Stier (de) m, Bummal (Bavarian)
• Greek: ταύρος (el) m (távros)

  Ancient Greek: ταῦρος m (tauros)

• Hebrew: תורא m (tawrā’)
• Hindi: सांड़ (sāṇṛ), साँड़ (sāṇṛ)
• Hungarian: bika (hu)
• Icelandic: naut (is) n
• Indonesian: sapi (id) m, banteng (id)
• Interlingua: tauro
• Irish: tarbh (ga) m

  Old Irish: tarb m

• Italian: toro (it) m
• Japanese: 雄牛 (おうし, oushí), 牡牛 (おうし, oushí)
• Korean: 황소 (ko) (hwangso)
• Latin: taurus (la), bōs (la) m
• Latvian: bullis (lv)

• Macedonian: бик m (bik)
• Malay: lembu jantan
• Marathi: बैल m (bail)
• Mongolian: бух (buh)
• Navajo: dóola
• Neapolitan: toro m
• Norwegian: okse (no) m
• Old Church Slavonic: бꙑкъ m (bykŭ), тоуръ m (turŭ)
• Persian: گاو نر (fa) (gâv-e nar)
• Polish: byk (pl) m
• Portuguese: touro (pt) m, toiro (pt) m
• Romanian: taur (ro) m
• Russian: бык (ru) m (byk)
• Sardinian: trau m
• Scottish Gaelic: tarbh m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: бик m

  Roman: bik m

• Seri: tooro, ziix cooha ctam
• Slovak: býk m
• Slovene: bik (sl) m
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: byk m

• Spanish: toro (es) m
• Swahili: fahali (sw)
• Swedish: tjur (sv) c
• Taos: tùlu’úna
• Tigre: ሶር (sor)
• Tigrinya: ሶር (sor)
• Tok Pisin: bulmakau man, bulmakau
• Tswana: poo (9/10)
• Turkish: boğa (tr)
• Ugaritic: 𐎘𐎗 (ṭr)
• Ukrainian: бик (uk) m (byk), бугай (uk) m (buháj)
• Uzbek: buqa (uz)
• Vietnamese: bò đực (vi)
• Volapük: tor (vo), hibub (vo), (older word, obsolete) xoil
• Welsh: tarw (cy) m
• West Frisian: bolle
• Wolof: yëkk wi (wo)

adult male animal

• Albanian: dem m
• Azeri: öküz (az)
• Danish: han (da) (noun) m
• Dutch: stier (nl) m
• Esperanto: virbovo, taŭro
• Finnish: uros (fi), koiras (fi), sonni (fi)
• French: mâle (fr) m
• Galician: touro (gl) m
• German: Bulle (de) m, Stier (de) m, Bummal (Bavarian)
• Greek: vóði (el) n (vóði) (male ruminant)
• Interlingua: masculo
• Irish: tarbh (ga) m

• Italian: maschio (it) m
• Korean: 수컷 (ko) (sukeot)
• Latin: bōs (la) m
• Maori: puuru
• Norwegian: okse (no) m
• Portuguese: macho (pt) m
• Russian: самец (ru) m (saméc)
• Swedish: hane (sv) c, tjur (sv) c
• Syriac: ܬܘܪܐ m (tawrā’)
• Telugu: ఎద్దు (te) (eddu)
• Tswana: poo
• Wolof: yëkk wi (wo)

large, strong man

• Armenian: տավար (tavar)
• Danish: tyr (da) m
• Dutch: beer (nl) m, kolos (nl) m
• Finnish: karhu (fi)
• German: Bulle (de) m
• Greek: ταύρος (el) m (távros) (strong man), βόδι (el) n (vódi) (large man), βούβαλος (el) m (voúvalos) (fat man)

• Macedonian: бик m (bik), збиток m (zbítok), стропјак m (strópjak)
• Norwegian: okse (no) m
• Portuguese: brutamontes m
• Russian: бык (ru) m (byk), бугай (ru) m (bugáj), бычара m (byčára)

finance: investor who buys in anticipation of a rise in prices

• Danish: haussespekulant, haussist
• German: Bulle (de) m
• Macedonian: берзански шпекулант m (bérzanski špekulánt)

• Russian: бык (ru) m (byk)
• Swedish: haussespekulant c

slang: policeman

• Bulgarian: ченге (bg) n (čenge)
• Danish: strisser
• Dutch: flik (nl) m, f
• Finnish: sika (fi)
• French: vaches (fr) f pl (cows), bœufs (fr) m pl (oxen) (Canada), chiens (fr) m pl (dogs) (Canada), poulet (fr) m (chicken), cognes (fr) m pl (the beat)
• German: Bulle (de) m, Bullette f (rare)

• Greek: μπάτσος (el) n (bátsos) (slap), ɣurúni (el) n (ɣurúni) (pig), ɣurunáci (el) n (ɣurunáci) (piggy)
• Russian: мент (ru) m (ment), лягавый (ru) m (ljagávyj), мусор (ru) m (músor)
• Swedish: snut (sv) c
• Turkish: aynasız (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Breton: (1) tarv + specific mammal, (2) tarv m, tirvi pl
• Galician: touro
• Interlingua: policiero m, policiera f
• Lithuanian: (2-4) bulius m

• Portuguese: policial m, f
• Romanian: (2,4) taur m, (3) macho m

Adjective

bull (not comparable)

1. Large and strong, like a bull.
2. Of large mammals, male.

   a bull elephant

3. (finance) Of a market in which prices are rising (compare bear)

Synonyms

• (large and strong): beefy, hunky, robust
• (male):: male

Antonyms

• (large and strong):: feeble, puny, weak
• (male):: female
• (of a market):: bear

Translations

large and strong

• German: Bullen-, bullen-
• Interlingua: grosse

• Portuguese: grande (pt) m

male

• Dutch: stieren-, mannetjes-
• Finnish: uros- (fi)
• French: mâle (fr)
• German: -bulle

• Interlingua: mascule
• Italian: maschio (it)
• Portuguese: macho (pt) m

of a market in which prices are rising

• Swedish: hausse (sv) c

Verb

bull (third-person singular simple present bulls, present participle bulling, simple past and past participle bulled)

1. (intransitive) To force oneself (in a particular direction).

   He bulled his way in.

2. (intransitive) To lie, to tell untruths.
3. (intransitive) To be in heat; to manifest sexual desire as cows do.
4. (UK, military) To polish boots to a high shine.
5. (finance, transitive) To endeavour to raise the market price of.

   to bull railroad bonds

6. (finance, transitive) To endeavour to raise prices in.

   to bull the market

Translations

force oneself

• Interlingua: fortiar

• Portuguese: forçar (pt)

lie — see lie

polish boots to a high shine

• Macedonian: светнува (svétnuva), гланца (glánca)

• Swedish: putsa (sv), finputsa (sv)

Derived terms

Terms derived from adj., noun, or verb bull (etym. 1)

bulldog bulldozer bulldust bullfrog bullhorn

bull in a china shop bullseye bullshit bull wheel shoot the bull take the bull by the horns

Etymology 2

From Middle English bulle, from Old French bulle, from Low Latin bulla

Noun

bull (plural bulls)

1. A papal bull, an official document or edict from the Pope.
2. A seal affixed to a document, especially a document from the Pope.

Translations

document

• Arabic: مرسوم m (marsú:m)
• Bulgarian: була (bg) f (bula)
• Catalan: butlla f
• Czech: bula f
• Dutch: bul (nl) m
• Finnish: bulla (fi)
• French: bulle (fr) f
• German: Bulle (de) f
• Hungarian: bulla (hu)

• Interlingua: bulla
• Italian: bolla (it)
• Korean: 불라 (bulla)
• Polish: bulla (pl) f
• Portuguese: bula (pt) f
• Russian: булла (ru) f (bulla)
• Slovene: bula f
• Spanish: bula
• Swedish: bulla (sv) c

seal

• Catalan: butlla f, segell (ca) m
• Dutch: zegel (nl) n
• Finnish: sinetti (fi)
• French: sceau (fr) m
• German: Bulle (de) f
• Hungarian: bulla (hu)

• Interlingua: sigillo
• Italian: sigillo (it) m
• Korean: 불라 (bulla)
• Portuguese: selo (pt) m
• Swedish: sigill (sv)

Verb

bull (third-person singular simple present bulls, present participle bulling, simple past and past participle bulled)

1. (dated, 17th century) to publish in a Papal bull

Etymology 3

From Middle English bull (“falsehood”), of unknown origin. Possibly related to Old French boul, boule, fraud, deceit, trickery. Popularly associated with bullshit.

Noun

bull (uncountable)

1. A lie.
2. (euphemistic, informal) Nonsense.

Synonyms

• (nonsense): See also Wikisaurus:nonsense

Translations

nonsense

• Bulgarian: глупости (bg) pl (gluposti)
• Dutch: onzin (nl) m, klinkklare onzin m, nonsens (nl) m
• French: bêtises (fr) f pl
• Interlingua: nonsenso

• Portuguese: papo-furado m, conversa fiada f, besteira (pt) f
• Spanish: bulo (es) m
• Swedish: strunt (sv) n, snack (sv) n, nonsens (sv)

Verb

bull (third-person singular simple present bulls, present participle bulling, simple past and past participle bulled)

1. to mock, cheat

Etymology 4

From Old French boule (“ball”), from Latin bulla (“round swelling”), from Proto-Indo-European *bhel (“to blow, to swell”).

Noun

bull (plural bulls)

1. (16th century, obsolete) a bubble

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Catalan

Noun

bull m (plural bulls)

1. the agitation of a liquid which is boiling
2. effervescence
3. a type of pork sausage

Related terms

• bullir v

Verb

bull

1. Third-person singular present indicative form of bullir.
2. Second-person singular imperative form of bullir.

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /byl/

Etymology

From bulldozer.

Noun

bull m (plural bulls)

1. (construction) bulldozer

Synonyms

• bulldozer
• bouldozeur

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Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pʏtl/
• Rhymes: -ʏtl

Noun

bull n (genitive singular bulls, no plural)

1. nonsense, gibberish

Declension

declension of bull

n-s	singular
	indefinite	definite
nominative	bull	bullið
accusative	bull	bullið
dative	bulli	bullinu
genitive	bulls	bullsins

Synonyms

• rugl
• vitleysa
• þvæla