bull

See also: Bull and Bull.

English

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bʊl/

• 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 ‎(“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. A male of domesticated cattle or oxen of any age.
3. An adult male of certain large mammals, such as whales, elephants and seals.
4. A large, strong man.
5. (finance) An investor who buys (commodities or securities) in anticipation of a rise in prices.
6. (slang) A policeman.
   • 1920, Mary Roberts Rinehart, Avery Hopwood, The Bat, chapterI:

     The Bat—they called him the Bat. […]. He'd never been in stir, the bulls had never mugged him, he didn't run with a mob, he played a lone hand, and fenced his stuff so that even the fence couldn't swear he knew his face.

7. (Britain, historical, obsolete slang) A crown coin; its value, 5 shillings.
   • 1859, J.C. Hotten, A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words

     Half-a-crown is known as an alderman, half a bull, half a tusheroon, and a madza caroon; whilst a crown piece, or five shillings, may be called either a bull, or a caroon, or a cartwheel, or a coachwheel, or a thick-un, or a tusheroon.

8. (Britain) Short for bullseye.
9. (Philadelphia, slang) A man.

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: ثَوْر m ‎(ṯawr)

  Egyptian Arabic: تور m ‎(ṭoor)

• Aramaic: תורא m ‎(tawrā’)
• Hausa: sa (ha)
• Armenian: ցուլ (hy) ‎(cʿul)
• Asturian: toru m, bue m
• Basque: zezen (eu)
• Belarusian: бык m ‎(byk)
• Bole: bijimi
• 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
• Galician: touro (gl) 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 ‎(taûros)

• Hebrew: שור (he) m ‎(šor), פר (he) m ‎(par)
• Hindi: सांड़ ‎(sāṇṛ), साँड़ (hi) ‎(sāṇṛ)
• Hungarian: bika (hu)
• Icelandic: naut (is) n
• Ido: bovulo (io), tauro (io)
• Indonesian: sapi (id) m, banteng (id)
• Interlingua: tauro
• Irish: tarbh (ga) m

  Old Irish: tarb m

• Italian: toro (it) m
• Japanese: 雄牛 (ja) ‎(おうし, oushí), 牡牛 (ja) ‎(おうし, oushí)
• Khmer: គោបា ‎(koo baa)
• Korean: 황소 (ko) ‎(hwangso)
• Latin: taurus (la), bōs (la) m
• Latvian: bullis (lv)
• Lusitanian: taurom
• Macedonian: бик m ‎(bik)
• Malay: lembu jantan

• Maore Comorian: kondzo class 5/6
• Marathi: बैल m ‎(bail)
• Mongolian: бух (mn) ‎(buh)
• Navajo: dóola
• Neapolitan: toro m
• Ngazidja Comorian: mɓe-ɗume class 9/10 ‎(mbe-dume)
• Norwegian: okse (no) m
• Occitan: taur (oc) m
• Old Church Slavonic: бꙑкъ m ‎(bykŭ), тоуръ m ‎(turŭ)
• Ottoman Turkish: بوغا ‎(boğa)
• 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 (sh) m

• Seri: tooro, ziix cooha ctam
• Sicilian: tàuru (scn) m, tàvuru (scn) m
• Slovak: býk (sk) m
• Slovene: bik (sl) m
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: byk m

• Spanish: toro (es) m
• Svan: ჴა̈ნ ‎(qän)
• Swahili: fahali (sw)
• Swedish: tjur (sv) c
• Tamil: please add this translation if you can
• 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), буга́й (uk) m ‎(buháj)
• Umbrian: 𐌁𐌖𐌌 ‎(bum)
• Uzbek: buqa (uz)
• Venetian: toro m
• Vietnamese: bò đực (vi)
• Volapük: tor (vo), hibub (vo), (older word, obsolete) xoil
• Walloon: gayet (wa), torea (wa) m
• Welsh: tarw (cy) m
• West Frisian: bolle
• Wolof: yëkk wi (wo)
• Yiddish: ביק m ‎(bik), ביקעס m pl ‎(bikes)
• Zazaki: ga, go

adult male animal

• Albanian: dem (sq) m
• Azeri: öküz (az)
• Danish: han (da) c (noun)
• 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: βόδι (el) n ‎(vódi) (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: саме́ц (ru) m ‎(saméc)
• Swedish: hane (sv) c, tjur (sv) c
• Syriac: ܬܘܪܐ m ‎(tawrā’)
• Telugu: ఎద్దు (te) ‎(eddu)
• Tswana: poo
• Turkish: boğa (tr), öküz (tr)
• Wolof: yëkk wi (wo)

large, strong man

• Armenian: տավար (hy) ‎(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 ‎(zbitok), стропјак m ‎(stropjak)
• Norwegian: okse (no) m
• Portuguese: brutamontes m
• Russian: бык (ru) m ‎(byk), буга́й (ru) m ‎(bugáj), быча́ра m ‎(byčára)

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

• Danish: haussespekulant, haussist
• German: Bulle (de) m
• Irish: bulla m
• Italian: toro (it) m, rialzista m

• Macedonian: берзански шпекула́нт m ‎(berzanski 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), γουρούνι (el) n ‎(gouroúni) (pig), γουρουνάκι (el) n ‎(gourounáki) (piggy)
• Portuguese: tira (pt) m f
• Russian: мент (ru) m ‎(ment), ляга́вый (ru) m ‎(ljagávyj), му́сор (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) ^{(please verify)} tarv (br) + specific mammal, (2) ^{(please verify)} tarv (br) m, ^{(please verify)} tirvi (br) pl
• Galician: ^{(please verify)} touro (gl)
• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} policiero m, ^{(please verify)} policiera f
• Lithuanian: (2-4) ^{(please verify)} bulius m

• Romanian: (2,4) ^{(please verify)} taur (ro) m, (3) ^{(please verify)} macho m

Adjective

bull ‎(not comparable)

1. Large and strong, like a bull.
2. (of large mammals) adult 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. (Britain, 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 ‎(svetnuva), гланца ‎(glanca)

• Swedish: putsa (sv), finputsa (sv)

Derived terms

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

bulldog bulldozer bulldust bull fiddle 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: مَرْسُوم m ‎(marsūm)
• Bulgarian: була (bg) f ‎(bula)
• Catalan: butlla (ca) f
• Czech: bula (cs) f
• Dutch: bul (nl) m
• Finnish: bulla (fi)
• French: bulle (fr) f
• Friulian: bole f
• German: Bulle (de) f
• Hungarian: bulla (hu)

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

seal

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

• Interlingua: sigillo
• Irish: bulla m
• Italian: sigillo (it) m
• Korean: 불라 ‎(bulla) (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, bole ‎(“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