What is "bull"

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. [1913 Webster] ||

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.)

   1. Taurus, the second of the twelve signs of the zodiac.

   2. 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. 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.

   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 (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.

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

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.

"papal edict," c.1300, from Medieval Latin bulla "sealed document" (source of Old French bulle, Italian bulla), originally the word for the seal itself, from Latin bulla "round swelling, knob," said ultimately to be from Gaulish, from PIE *beu-, a root supposed to have formed words associated with swelling (cognates: Lithuanian bule "buttocks," Middle Dutch puyl "bag," also possibly Latin bucca "cheek").

"push through roughly," 1884, from bull (n.1). Related: Bulled; bulling.\n

"false talk, fraud," Middle English, apparently from Old French bole "deception, trick, scheming, intrigue," and perhaps connected to modern Icelandic bull "nonsense."\nSais christ to ypocrites ... yee ar ... all ful with wickednes, tresun and bull. ["Cursor Mundi," early 14c.]\nThere also was a verb bull meaning "to mock, cheat," which dates from 1530s.

"bovine male animal," from Old English bula "a bull, a steer," or Old Norse boli "bull," both from Proto-Germanic *bullon- (cognates: Middle Dutch bulle, Dutch bul, German Bulle), perhaps from a Germanic verbal stem meaning "to roar," which survives in some German dialects and perhaps in the first element of boulder (q.v.). The other possibility [Watkins] is that the Germanic root is from PIE *bhln-, from root *bhel- (2) "to blow, inflate, swell" (see bole).\n

\nAn uncastrated male, reared for breeding, as opposed to a bullock or steer. Extended after 1610s to males of other large animals (elephant, alligator, whale, etc.). Stock market sense is from 1714 (see bear (n.)). Meaning "policeman" attested by 1859. Figurative phrase to take the bull by the horns first recorded 1711. To be a bull in a china shop, figurative of careless and inappropriate use of force, attested from 1812 and was the title of a popular humorous song in 1820s England. Bull-baiting attested from 1570s.

Etymology 1

1. 1 Large and strong, like a bull. 2 Of large mammals, male. 3 (context finance English) Of a market in which prices are rising (compare bear) n. 1 An adult male of domesticated cattle or oxen. 2 # Specifically, one that is uncastrated. 3 An adult male of certain large mammals, such as whales, elephants and seals. 4 A large, strong man. 5 (lb en finance) An investor who buys (commodities or securities) in anticipation of a rise in prices. 6 (lb en slang) A policeman. 7 (lb en UK historical obsolete slang) A crown coin; its value, (nowrap: 5 shillings.) 8 (lb en Philadelphia slang) A man. v

2. 1 (context intransitive English) To force oneself (in a particular direction). 2 (context intransitive English) To lie, to tell untruths. 3 (context intransitive English) To be in heat; to manifest sexual desire as cows do. 4 (context UK military English) To polish boots to a high shine. 5 (context finance transitive English) To endeavour to raise the market price of. 6 (context finance transitive English) To endeavour to raise prices in. Etymology 2

   n. 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. vb. (context dated 17th century English) to publish in a Papal bull Etymology 3

   n. 1 A lie. 2 (context euphemistic informal English) nonsense. vb. to mock, cheat Etymology 4

   n. (context 16th century obsolete English) a bubble

1. n. 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: 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, 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: 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]

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]

9. the center of a target [syn: bull's eye]

10. a formal proclamation issued by the pope (usually written in antiquated characters and sealed with a leaden bulla) [syn: papal bull]

11. mature male of various mammals of which the female is called `cow'; e.g. whales or elephants or especially cattle

1. v. push or force; "He bulled through his demands" [syn: bull through]

2. try to raise the price of stocks through speculative buying

3. talk through one's hat; "The politician was not well prepared for the debate and faked it" [syn: bullshit, fake]

4. advance in price; "stocks were bulling"

Bull usually refers to an uncastrated adult male bovine.

Bull may also refer to:

Bull is an American drama series created by Michael S. Chernuchin. It was TNT's first original series, and was cancelled in the middle of Season 1. The show's name is in reference to the bull market, but the airing of the series coincided with the dot-com bubble crash that turned what had until then been a bull economy in the United States into a bear market.

Bull is the second album by Bootsauce, released in 1992.

Bull (first name unknown; fl. 1871) was an English cricketer who played for Kent.

He made a single first-class appearance for the side, in 1871, against Sussex. As a tailender, he scored 2 runs in the first innings in which he batted, and 8 runs in the second, as Kent lost the match by an innings margin.

Bull is a surname.

In addition to people bearing "Bull" as an Old World-derived surname, "Bull" has been part of the names of some Native Americans. Some of them bear it as part of a traditional name of their respective cultures. Some of these, and some others, either have borne it as part of a legal surname or (with or without their assent) been treated as bearing thusly.

Those bearing Bull as a surname include:

• Alfred E. Bull (1867–1930), an American football player and coach
• Amos Bull (1744–1825), one of America's first composers.
• ( Amos Bad Heart Bull (c. 1868 – 1913) -- noted in a following section -- was the son of Bad Heart Bull, and passed that whole name on to both his sons in surname fashion.)
• Anders Henrik Bull (1875 – after 1909), a Norwegian electrical engineer
• Anders Sandøe Ørsted Bull (1817–1907), a Norwegian politician and mayor of Oslo
• Andy Bull, an Australian singer-songwriter from Sydney
• Anthony Bull (1908–2004), a British transport engineer and president of the Institute of Transport
• Bart Bull, American writer, reporter, author, columnist, and critic.
• Bartle Bull (born 1970), American writer, magazine editor and journalist
• Ben Bull, English footballer
• Benjamin Bull (1798-1879), American lawyer and politician
• Bernt Bull (born 1946), Norwegian politician for the Labour Party.
• Brynjulf Bull (1906–1993), Norwegian lawyer, Supreme Court advocate and politician
• Bull (fl. 1871), Kent cricketer with unknown given name
• Cavinder Bull, Senior Counsel, lawyer and director of the Singapore law firm Drew & Napier
• Charlie Bull (1909–1939), an English cricketer
• Charles Livingston Bull (1874–1932), illustrator
• Clarence Bull (1896–1979), one of the great portrait photographers
• Clive Bull (born 1959), English award-winning radio talk show host
• Courtnie Bull, an American actress
• Dan Bull (1986-), British rapper
• David Bull (born 1969), British television commentator and former doctor
• Deborah Bull (1963), English dancer, writer, and broadcaster
• Dixie Bull (fl. 1630s), English sea captain and pirate
• Donald Bull, rugby union player who represented Australia
• Edvard Bull, several specific people
• Edvard Bull, Sr. (1881–1932), Norwegian historian and politician for the Labour Party
• Edvard Hagerup Bull (1855–1938), Norwegian judge and politician for the Conservative Party
• Edvard_Isak_Hambro_Bull, Norwegian chief physician
• Eleanor Bull (1550–1596), owned establishment where Christopher Marlowe, the Elizabethan playwright and poet, died in 1593
• Emma Bull (born 1954), science fiction and fantasy author
• Ephraim Wales Bull (1806–1895), inventor of the Concord grape
• Fran Bull (born 1938), an American artist
• Francis Bull (1887–1974), a Norwegian literary historian, professor at University of Oslo
• Frederick Bull (1875–1910), English cricketer who played for Essex.
• Fredrik Rosing Bull (1882–1925), Norwegian engineer and Information technology pioneer
• G. Bull, English cricketer
• Gary Bull (born 1966), an English footballer
• Geoff Bull (born 1942), an Australian jazz trumpeter and bandleader.
• Geoffrey Bull (1921–1999), a Scottish Christian missionary and author
• Georg Andreas Bull (1829–1917), Norwegian architect and chief building inspector
• Georg Jacob Bull (1785–1854), a Norwegian jurist and politician
• George Bull (1634–1710), English theologian and Bishop of St David's.
• George Bull (1809–1886), chair maker, pioneer settler in Canada Township, Polk County, Nebraska
• Gerald Bull (1928–1990), Canadian engineer
• ( Grant Short Bull (c. 1851 – 1935) -- noted in a following section -- passed Short Bull on to both his sons in surname fashion.)
• Harcourt Burland Bull (1824–1881), an Ontario journalist and political figure
• Harold R. Bull (1893–1976), Assistant Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) under Dwight D. Eisenhower
• Hedley Bull (1932–1985), Australian-born political scientist
• Henrik Bull (1864–1953), a Norwegian architect and designer
• Henrik H Bull (born 1929), a founder of Bull Stockwell Allen Architects in San Francisco
• Henrik Johan Bull businessman who patented the grenade-harpoon gun used for whaling
• Henry Bull (settler) (1799–1848), an early settler in the Swan River Colony and served in British Navy
• Henry Bull (governor) (1610–1694), an early colonial Governor of Rhode Island
• Henry Bull (Speaker), Speaker of the Colonial Rhode Island House of Deputies, 1728, 1734
• Hiram C. Bull (1820-1879), American politician
• Jacob Breda Bull (1853–1930), a Norwegian author
• James J. Bull, Professor in Molecular Biology at the University of Texas at Austin
• Jan Bull (1927–1985), a Norwegian author and theater instructor
• Jens Bull (1886–1956), a Norwegian jurist and diplomat
• Johan Lausen Bull (1751–1817), a Norwegian jurist and politician.
• Johan Randulf Bull (1749–1829), a Norwegian judge
• John Bull, several specific people
• John Bull (composer) (c. 1562 – 1628), English composer and musician
• John Bull (congressman) (1803–1863), an American clergyman and physician who represented Missouri in the U.S. Congress
• John Bull (Continental Congress) (c. 1740 – 1802), American statesman, Continental Congressman from South Carolina
• John Bull (gunman) (1836–1929), deadly gunman of the American Old West
• John S. Bull (1934–2008), U.S. Navy test pilot, aeronautical engineer, and NASA astronaut
• Karl Sigwald Johannes Bull, (1860–1936), Norwegian Minister of Defence from 1910 to 1912
• Knud Bull (1811–1889), a Norwegian painter and counterfeiter
• Lucien Bull (1876–1972), a pioneer in chronophotography
• Lyder Bull (1881–1959), Norwegian civil servant
• Melville Bull (1854–1909), a U.S. Representative from Rhode Island.
• Mike Bull (born 1946), retired male pole vaulter and decathlete from Northern Ireland
• Moses Bull (1830–1896), American politician
• Nikki Bull (born 1981), an English footballer
• Norma Bull (1906–1980), Australian artist
• Obadiah Bull Irish lawyer during the reign of Henry VII, who coined the phrase "that's Bull"
• Olaf Bull (1883–1933), Norwegian poet
• Ole Bull (1810–1880), Norwegian violinist
• Ole Bornemann Bull (physician) (1842–1916), a Norwegian ophthalmologist.
• Pauline Bull, former English model and artist
• Peter Bull (1912–1984), British character actor
• René Bull (1872–1942), an illustrator
• Richard Bull, several specific people
• Richard Bull (actor) (born 1924), American film actor, stage actor and television actor
• Richard Bull (aviator) (1914–1942), United States Navy aviator during World War II
• Richard Bull (politician) (born 1946), former Australian politician
• Richard S. Bull (1913–1942), earned the Distinguished Flying Cross during World War II
• Roger Anthony Bull, a former Canadian diplomat
• Ronnie Bull (footballer) (born 1980), English footballer
• Ronnie Bull (American_football) (born 1940), retired American football running back
• Roy Bull (1929–2004), Australian rugby player and coach
• Sandy Bull (1941–2001), American folk musician
• Schak Bull (1858–1956), a Norwegian architect
• Scott Bull (born 1953), former American professional football player
• Silke Bull, an East German sprint canoer
• Simon Bull (born 1958), an English-born artist now living in America
• Stephen Bull (1904–1942), an English lawyer and baronet.
• Steve Bull (born 1965), English footballer
• Storm Bull (1913–2007), American musician, composer and educator
• Sverre Hagerup Bull (1892–1976), a Norwegian banker, composer and writer
• Tas Bull (1932–2003), Australian trade union leader
• Theodor Bull (1870–1958), a Norwegian businessperson and genealogist
• Tom Bull (1905–1976), an Australian politician
• Tove Bull (born 1945), a Norwegian linguist
• Trygve Bull (1905–1999), a Norwegian lecturer and politician
• Vika Bull and Linda Bull are a sister vocal duo
• Walter Bull (died 1952), an English football player and manager
• William Bull, several specific people
• William Bull (landowner) (1867–1956), an early Australian landowner in the Riverina region, Australia
• William Frederick Bull former Canadian diplomat
• William James Bull (1863–1931), 1st Baronet, British solicitor, Conservative politician, Member of Parliament

Bull, The Bull and Da Bull are nicknames.

Those so named include:

• Bill Adams (Australian footballer) (1900-1973), Australian rules footballer
• Donnis Churchwell (born 1936), American former National Football League player
• Bull Connor (1897–1973), American politician infamous for opposing desegregation in Birmingham, Alabama, in the 1960s
• Johnny Davis (American football) (born 1956), former National Football League player
• Ed Durham (1907-1976), American baseball pitcher
• Leon Durham (born 1957), American baseball first baseman
• William Halsey, Jr. (1882-1959), US Navy fleet admiral
• Terry Jenkins (born 1963), English darts player nicknamed "The Bull"
• Brooks Lawrence (1925-2000), American Negro National League and Major League Baseball pitcher
• Frank McCaffrey, college football player and 1917 head football coach of Fordham University
• Bull Montana (1887–1950), American professional wrestler and actor Lewis Montagna
• William "Bull" Nelson (1824–1862), US Army major-general during the American Civil War and US Navy officer prior to the war
• Greg Noll (born 1937), American surfing pioneer nicknamed "Da Bull"
• Bull Polisky (1901–1978), American football player
• Denver Randleman (1920-2003), non-commissioned officer in World War II, portrayed in the HBO series Band of Brothers
• Alan Richardson (footballer born 1940), Australian footballer
• Franz Roth (born 1946), German former footballer nicknamed "the Bull"
• Edwin Vose Sumner (1797-1863), American Civil War Union Army general
• Tsang Kin-shing (born 1957), Hong Kong politician

A bull is an intact (i.e., not castrated) adult male of the species Bos taurus ( cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the female of the species, the cow, the bull has long been an important symbol in many cultures, and plays a significant role in both beef and dairy farming, and in a variety of other cultural activities.

Bull (, translit. Vula) is a 1965 Bulgarian drama film written and directed by Nikola Korabov. It was entered into the 4th Moscow International Film Festival.

BULL was the student magazine of the University of Sydney in Sydney, Australia, and was published by the University of Sydney Union. Established as The Bulletin, then The Bull, BULL was the union's only high-gloss magazine and was published monthly by an editorially independent student team.

Written by students, for students, editorial leadership changed annually and as a result, editions changed tone and style over the years. BULL had a strong focus on feature articles, culture and arts and involved fellow student reporters, contributors and photographers enriching the magazine.

In 2013 BULL was awarded at the ACUMA Awards for Excellence in Campus Service, receiving Best Publication. In 2015, it was announced that BULL would be discontinued in 2016, and a new online platform, later titled Pulp, would take its place, with two new editors.

The ancient Egyptian Bull (hieroglyph), Gardiner sign listed no. E1, is the representation of the common bull. The bull motif is dominant in protodynastic times (see Bull Palette), and also has prominence in the early dynastic Egypt, famously on the Narmer Palette.

The common definition of bull (as a hieroglyph for language), as ka, relates to the 'bull'; other uses with additional hieroglyphs are: divine bull, "Great Bull", "Red Bull", etc.

Bull is a Grade II* listed sculpture in Daneburry Avenue, Roehampton, London SW15.

Bull is a 1961 by Robert Clatworthy, a version of his plaster figure from 1959. It was commissioned by the London County Council at the behest of A. W. Cleeve Barr, one of the lead architects for the Alton Estate in Roehampton.

Bull is a British television sitcom created and written by Gareth Gwynn and John-Luke Roberts, who adapted it for television from their radio pilot, Antiquity.

The show stars well-known comic actors Robert Lindsay and Maureen Lipman as the eponymous siblings and antiques shop owners Rupert and Beverley Bull, around whom the programme centres, alongside Claudia Jessie and Naz Osmanoglu as their hapless staff-members Faye and Toby respectively.

Bull is an upcoming American television drama series starring Michael Weatherly. The series, ordered to series on May 13, 2016, is set to premiere on September 20, 2016. The show is based on talk show host Phil McGraw's early days running one of the most prolific trial consulting services of all time.