Bulb - Bullhead

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Bulb (bŭlb), n. [L. bulbus, Gr. bolbos: 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.
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2. (Anat.) A name given to some parts that resemble in shape certain bulbous roots; as, the bulb of the aorta.
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Coloq. Bulb of the eye , the eyeball. -- Coloq. Bulb of a hair , the “root,” or part whence the hair originates. -- Coloq. Bulb of the spinal cord , the medulla oblongata, often called simply bulb. -- Coloq. Bulb of a tooth , the vascular and nervous papilla contained in the cavity of the tooth.
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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.
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3. a .
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Bulb, v. i. To take the shape of a bulb; to swell.
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Bulbaceous (�), a. [L. bulbaceus. See , n.] Bulbous. Jonson.
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Bulbar (�), a. Of or pertaining to bulb; especially, in medicine, pertaining to the bulb of the spinal cord, or medulla oblongata; as, bulbar paralysis.
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Bulbed (�), a. Having a bulb; round-headed.
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Bulbel (�), n. [Dim., fr. bulb, n.] (Bot.) A separable bulb formed on some flowering plants.
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Bulbiferous (�), a. [Bulb,n.+ -ferous: cf. F. bulbifère.] (Bot.) Producing bulbs.
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Bulbil (?), n. [Dim. fr. bulb.] 1. (Bot.) A small or secondary bulb; hence, now almost exclusively: An aërial bulb or deciduous bud, produced in the leaf axils, as in the tiger lily, or relpacing the flowers, as in some onions, and capable, when separated, of propagating the plant; -- called also bulblet and brood bud.
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2. (Anat.) A small hollow bulb, such as an enlargement in a small vessel or tube.
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Bulblet (�), 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.
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Bulbose (�), a. Bulbous.
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Bulbo-tuber (�), n. [Bulb,n.+ tuber.] (Bot.) A corm.
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Bulbous (�), a. [L. bulbosus: cf. F. bulbeux. See , n.] Having or containing bulbs, or a bulb; growing from bulbs; bulblike in shape or structure.
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Bulbul (�), 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.]
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Bulbule (�), n. [L. bulbulus, dim. of bulbus. See , n.] A small bulb; a bulblet.
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Bulchin (�), n. [Dim. of bull.] A little bull.
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Bulge (bŭlj), n. [OE. bulge a swelling; cf. AS. belgan to swell, OSw. bulgja, Icel. bōlginn swollen, OHG. belgan to swell, G. bulge leathern sack, Skr. bṛh to be large, strong; the root meaning to swell. Cf. , , , , n.] 1. The bilge or protuberant part of a cask.
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2. A swelling, protuberant part; a bending outward, esp. when caused by pressure; as, a bulge in a wall.
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3. (Naut.) The bilge of a vessel. See , 2.
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Coloq. Bulge ways . (Naut.) See .
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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.
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2. To bilge, as a ship; to founder.
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And scattered navies bulge on distant shores. Broome.
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Bulger (?), n. [From .] (Golf) A driver or a brassy with a convex face.
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bulging adj. 1. curving or bulging outward. Opposite of concave. [Narrower terms: biconvex, convexo-convex, lenticular, lentiform; broken-backed, hogged; convexo-concave; gibbous, gibbose; planoconvex] Also See: .
Syn. -- convex.
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2. curving outward.
Syn. -- bellied, bellying, bulbous, bulgy, protuberant.
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bulgur n. [Turkish.] parched crushed wheat.
Syn. -- bulghur, bulgur wheat.
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Bulgy (�), a. Bulged; bulging; bending, or tending to bend, outward. [Colloq.]
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{ Bulimia (bŭlĭmĭȧ), Bulimy (�), } n. [NL. bulimia, fr. Gr. boylimia, lit., ox-hunger; boy^s ox + limos hunger: cf. F. boulimie.] 1. (Med.) A disease in which there is a perpetual and insatiable appetite for food; a diseased and voracious appetite.
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2. a disordered eating habit characterized by occasional episodes of excessive eating, followed by self-induced vomiting or abuse of laxatives, to avoid gaining weight; it is often accompanied by feelings of guilt; -- called also bulimia nervosa and binge-purge syndrome. It is observed mainly in young women of normal weight.
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bulimic (bŭlēmĭk) a. 1. of or pertaining to bulimia.
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2. suffering from bulimia.
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Bulimus (b�līmŭs), n. [L. bulimus hunger. See .] (Zoöl.) A genus of land snails having an elongated spiral shell, often of large size. The species are numerous and abundant in tropical America.
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Bulk (bŭlk), n. [OE. bulke, bolke, heap; cf. Dan. bulk lump, clod, OSw. bolk crowd, mass, Icel. b�lkast to be bulky. Cf. , n., a boil, , n.] 1. Magnitude of material substance; dimensions; mass; size; as, an ox or ship of great bulk.
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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.
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2. The main mass or body; the largest or principal portion; the majority; as, the bulk of a debt.
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The bulk of the people must labor, Burke told them, “to obtain what by labor can be obtained.” J. Morley.
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3. (Naut.) The cargo of a vessel when stowed.
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4. The body. [Obs.] Shak.
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My liver leaped within my bulk. Turbervile.
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Coloq. Barrel bulk . See under . -- Coloq. To break bulk (Naut.), to begin to unload or more the cargo. -- Coloq. 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. -- Coloq. Laden in bulk , Coloq. Stowed in bulk , having the cargo loose in the hold or not inclosed in boxes, bales, or casks. -- Coloq. Sale by bulk , a sale of goods as they are, without weight or measure.
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Syn. -- Size; magnitude; dimension; volume; bigness; largeness; massiveness.
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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.
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The fame of Warburton possibly bulked larger for the moment. Leslie Stephen.
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Bulk, n. [Icel. bālkr a beam, partition. Cf. , n. & v.] A projecting part of a building. [Obs.]
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Here, stand behind this bulk. Shak.
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Bulker (�), 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.
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Bulkhead (�), n. [See part of a building.] 1. (Naut.) A partition in a vessel, to separate apartments on the same deck.
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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.
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Coloq. Bulked line , a line beyond which a wharf must not project; -- usually, the harbor line.
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Bulkiness (�), n. Greatness in bulk; size.
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Bulky (�), a. Of great bulk or dimensions; of great size; large; thick; massive; as, bulky volumes.
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A bulky digest of the revenue laws. Hawthorne.
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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.
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☞ The wild bull of the Old Testament is thought to be the oryx, a large species of antelope.
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2. One who, or that which, resembles a bull in character or action. Ps. xxii. 12.
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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.
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At last from Aries rolls the bounteous sun,
And the bright Bull receives him. Thomson.
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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 , n., 5.
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5. a ludicrously false statement; nonsense. Also used as an expletive. [vulgar]
Syn. -- bullshit, Irish bull, horseshit, shit, crap, crapola, bunk, bunkum, buncombe, guff, nonsense, rot, tommyrot, balderdash, hogwash, dogshit.
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Coloq. Bull baiting , the practice of baiting bulls, or rendering them furious, as by setting dogs to attack them. -- Coloq. John Bull , a humorous name for the English, collectively; also, an Englishman. “Good-looking young John Bull.” W. D.Howells. -- Coloq. To take the bull by the horns , to grapple with a difficulty instead of avoiding it.
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Bull, a. Of or pertaining to a bull; resembling a bull; male; large; fierce.
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Coloq. Bull bat (Zoöl.), the night hawk; -- so called from the loud noise it makes while feeding on the wing, in the evening. -- Coloq. Bull calf . (a) A stupid fellow. -- Coloq. Bull mackerel (Zoöl.), the chub mackerel. -- Coloq. Bull pump (Mining), a direct single-acting pumping engine, in which the steam cylinder is placed above the pump. -- Coloq. Bull snake (Zoöl.), the pine snake of the United States. -- Coloq. Bull stag , a castrated bull. See . -- Coloq. Bull wheel , a wheel, or drum, on which a rope is wound for lifting heavy articles, as logs, the tools in well boring, etc.
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Bull, v. i. To be in heat; to manifest sexual desire as cows do. [Colloq.]
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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 , n., 4.
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Bull, n. [OE. bulle, fr. L. bulla bubble, stud, knob, LL., a seal or stamp: cf. F. bulle. Cf. a writing, a ball, , v. i.] 1. A seal. See .
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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 .
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A fresh bull of Leo's had declared how inflexible the court of Rome was in the point of abuses. Atterbury.
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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.
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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.
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Coloq. 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.
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Syn. -- See .
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Bulla (�), n.; pl. Bullæ (�). [L. bulla bubble. See an edict.] 1. (Med.) A bleb; a vesicle, or an elevation of the cuticle, containing a transparent watery fluid.
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2. (Anat.) The ovoid prominence below the opening of the ear in the skulls of many animals; as, the tympanic or auditory bulla.
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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.
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4. (Zoöl.) A genus of marine shells. See .
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Bullace (�), 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 . (b) The bully tree.
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Bullantic (�), a. [See an edict.] Pertaining to, or used in, papal bulls. Fry.
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Coloq. Bullantic letters , Gothic letters used in papal bulls.
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Bullary (�), n. [LL. bullarium: cf. F. bullairie. See an edict.] A collection of papal bulls.
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Bullary, n.; pl. Bullaries (-rĭz). [Cf. .] A place for boiling or preparing salt; a boilery. Crabb.
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And certain salt fats or bullaries. Bills in Chancery.
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Bullate (bŭll�t/), a. [L. bullatus, fr. bulla bubble.] (Biol.) Appearing as if blistered; inflated; puckered.
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Coloq. 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.
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Bullbeggar (�), n. Something used or suggested to produce terror, as in children or persons of weak mind; a bugbear.
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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).
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Bull brier (�). (Bot.) A species of Smilax (Smilax 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.
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Bullcomber (�), n. (Zoöl.) A scaraboid beetle; esp. the Typhæus vulgaris of Europe.
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Bulldog (�), 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.
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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.
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Bulldog, a. Characteristic of, or like, a bulldog; stubborn; as, bulldog courage; bulldog tenacity.
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Coloq. Bulldog bat (Zo'94l.), a bat of the genus Nyctinomus; -- so called from the shape of its face.
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Bulldoze (�), 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.]
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Bulldozer (�), n. One who bulldozes. [Slang]
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Bulled (�), a. [Cf. .] Swollen. [Obs.]
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Bullen-bullen (�), n. [Native Australian name, from its cry.] (Zoöl.) The lyre bird.
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Bullen-nail (�), n. [Bull large, having a large head + nail.] A nail with a round head and short shank, tinned and lacquered.
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Bullet (�), n. [F. boulet, dim. of boule ball. See an edict, and cf. .] 1. A small ball.
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2. A missile, usually of lead, and round or elongated in form, to be discharged from a rifle, musket, pistol, or other small firearm.
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3. A cannon ball. [Obs.]
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A ship before Greenwich . . . shot off her ordnance, one piece being charged with a bullet of stone. Stow.
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4. The fetlock of a horse. [See Illust. under .]
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Coloq. Bullet tree . See . -- Coloq. Bullet wood , the wood of the bullet tree.
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bullethead n. a head shaped like a bullet.
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Bulletin (�), n. [F. bulletin, fr. It. bullettino, dim. of bulletta, dim. of bulla, bolla, an edict of the pope, from L. bulla bubble. See 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.
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2. Any public notice or announcement, especially of news recently received.
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3. A periodical publication, especially one containing the proceeding of a society.
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Coloq. bulletin board , a board on which announcements are put, particularly at newsrooms, newspaper offices, etc.
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bullet-proof, bulletproof (�), a. 1. Capable of resisting the force of a bullet; resistant to penetration by a bullet; armored; as, a bulletproof vest; a bulletproof window.
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2. designed so as to be resistant to abuse or misuse and incapable of malfunction under normal use; as, a bulletproof computer program.
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3. so well thought out as to be resistant to criticism or certain to succeed; as, a bulletproof plan.
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Bullfaced (�), a. Having a large face.
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Bullfeast (�), n. See . [Obs.]
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{ Bullfight (�), Bullfighting }, n. a 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, Portugal and Latin American. In the Spanish version a matador kills the bull with a sword after the bull has been weakened by wounds from small barbed rods, and after he has displayed courage and artistic skill in causing the bull to charge many times while he stands still or nearly still. In some versions the bull is not killed. Occasionally the matador is wounded or killed by the bull. -- Bullfighter (�), n.
Syn. -- corrida.
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bullfighting n. the activity at a bullfight.
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Bullfinch (�), n. (Zoöl.) A bird of the genus Pyrrhula and other related genera, especially the Pyrrhula vulgaris or Pyrrhula rubicilla, a bird of Europe allied to the grosbeak, having the breast, cheeks, and neck, red.
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☞ As a cage bird it is highly valued for its remarkable power of learning to whistle correctly various musical airs.
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Coloq. Crimson-fronted bullfinch . (Zoöl.) See . -- Coloq. Pine bullfinch , the pine finch.
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{ Bullfist (�), Bullfice } (�), n. [Cf. G. bofist, AS. wulfes fist puffball, E. fizz, foist.] (Bot.) A kind of fungus. See .
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{ Bull fly or Bullfly } (�), n. (Zoöl.) Any large fly troublesome to cattle, as the gadflies and breeze flies.
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Bullfrog (�), n. (Zoöl.) A very large species of frog (Rana Catesbiana), found in North America; -- so named from its loud bellowing in spring.
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Bullhead (�), n. 1. (Zoöl.) (a) A fresh-water fish of many species, of the genus Uranidea, esp. Uranidea gobio of Europe, and Uranidea 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.
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2. (Zoöl.) (a) The black-bellied plover (Squatarola helvetica); -- called also beetlehead. (b) The golden plover.
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3. A stupid fellow; a lubber. [Colloq.] Jonson.
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4. (Zoöl.) A small black water insect. E. Phillips.
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Coloq. Bullhead whiting (Zoöl.), the kingfish of Florida (Menticirrus alburnus).
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