v,,/<, a nosy wagon, uer-wacr roarng, ^ fa (bul'rush), . [Formerly 
ing water, etc. D 6fe-6^ a bugbear, DUirusn ^ \ ME . L 6(/ , sc/i ^ 
,r-bst = *\\-.ln<ll<-r-li<is = Uim.buMcr-basse, ., , , , , ' , . , -i , 
,1 Mlnw ,-t,. the first element beimr the < 6 ?*', P , 1 ^ * tem , ot JV T ?,? ( ."' ,..^ 
bully 
corresponding to LG. bullerjaun (John), bullrr- 
bdk, buller-brook, a noisy, blustering fellow, bvl- 
Icr-irrigc, a noisy wagon, bullrr-mitcr, roaring, 
ruslii 
bidder- 
a rude fellow, etc.; the first element being the 
verb seen in LG. bullern = D. bulderen = Sw. 
bullra = Dan. buldre, etc., roar, make a noise: 
see buller, boulder.] I. n.; pi. bullies (-iz). 1. 
A blustering, quarrelsome, overbearing fellow; 
a swaggerer; a swashbuckler ; one who hectors, 
browbeats, or domineers. 
They are such Wits as tliou art ; who make the Name of 
a Wit as scandalous as that of Bully: and signify a loud- 
laughing, talking. Incorrigible coxcomb, as Rutty & roar- 
ing hardncd Coward. Wyeherley, Plain Dealer, v. 
The blustering Imllii in our neighbouring streets. 
Prior, Epilogue to Mrs. Mauley's Lucius. 
Daily conflicts with prostitutes and thieves called out 
and exercised his powers so effectually that he [Jeffreys] 
became the most consummate bully ever known in his 
profession. 
2t. A companion ; 
low : a familiar term 
I love the lovely In, 
8f. A degraded fellow who protects fallen wo- 
men and lives on their gains. 
The lady was only a woman of the town and the fellow 
her (111% and a sharper. Goldsmith, Vicar. 
718 
, j,; e teredo 
bumble 
Aristotle and Demosthenes are in themselves bulwarks 
of power; many hosts lie in those two names. 
De Quincey, Style, iii. 
Pop. Set. Mo., XIII. 566. 
[Formerly sometimes 
tie, bolroifxrln . 
/iitlirark) (less 
prob. < bul, bol, mod. E. bul ft, implying 'large'), 
-I- rysclie, etc., mod. E. nwfe 1 .] The popular 
name for large rush-like plants growing in 
marshes. It is very indefinitely used. Thus, while 
Johnson says the bulrush is without knots, Dryden (" Me- 
leaucr and Atalanta") calls it "the knotty bulrush." 
Some authors apply the name to Ttijilm lati.tulM and 1. _ , . /,., , ' rf ill n 
,Mrf//'..fiV< (cats-tail or reed-mace); but it is more gener- BUlWeria (Dul-we n-a;, . 
ally restricted to Selr/ni* lueuttri*, a tall rush-like plant 
from which the bottoms of chairs, mats, etc., are manu- 
factured. (See Scirpu*.) In the United States the name 
is commonly given to species of Jmimt. The bulrush of 
Egypt (Ex. ii. 3) is the papyrus, Cinierim Papyrus. 
)Ulrusb.y (bul' rush -i), a. [< bulrush + -y 1 .] 
Abounding in bulrushes; pertaining to or re- 
sembling bulrushes. 
4f. i>l. Pads or defenses to protect the limbs 
against, the chafing of armor. ll'riijlit.=syn. 1. 
See fortification. 
bulwark (bul'wark), v. t. [= MD. bolwercken, 
D. bolwerkcn = MLG. bolwcrken ; from the 
noun.] To fortify with a bulwark or rampart ; 
secure by a fortification ; protect. 
Some proud city, Intlwark'd round and arm'd 
With rising towers. Glover, Leonidas, viii. 
[NL., from the 
proper name Bulwer.] A genus of petrels, 
of the family I'rocellunidte, based upon B. co- 
2. Brisk; dashing; jovial; high-spirited. 
Captain, adieu ; adieu, sweet bully Captain. 
Beau, ami FL, Captain, iv. 2. 
3. Fine; capital; good: as, a bully horse, pic- 
ture, etc. [Slang.] Bully for you, well done! 
bravo! [Vulgar, U. H.] 
liimhiiia, a small whole-colored fuliginous spe- 
cies about 10 inches long, the wings 8, the tail 
4^ and cuueate, with graduated rectrices, in- 
habiting the Canary islands, etc. The genus is 
intermediate between CBrtrelata and the small petrels 
known as Mother Carey's chickens. 
bom), ;.: pret. and pp. 
liinnmiiKj. [< ME. liHuimen, bom- 
n (see bomb^, a var. form), 
>= D. lion/men = G. bummeti, 
iium| buzz;-f. Icel. bitmba, a drum); an imita- 
tive word, the earlier representative of boom 1 : 
I. in trams. 1. To 
hum ; buzz. Mars- 
ton. 2. To rush with a murmuring sound. 
3f. To guzzle ; drink. 
Ones at noon is i-nouj that no werk lie vseth, 
He abydeth wel the bet [better] that bom metli not to ofte. 
Piers Plowman (A), vii. 139. 
And who-so bummed [var. bommede] thcrof [of the beste 
ale] bongte it ther-after 
A galoun for a grote. Piera Plowman (B), v. 223. 
hence, a certain quantity of diamonds or other 
tivc wvm. wxo UUILJC;! xu^nt 
Presents of shawls and silks, . . . bulnen of diamonds ft/mini Juimlilf Imnml ~\ 
and bags of guineas. Xaeaitlay, Hist. Eng., xviii. m '-"' 
4. A Cornish name of the shanny. Also bully- bult 1 (bult), n. [E. dial., perhaps a var. of 
cod. 5. In Tasmania, a species of blenny, bolfl, q. v.] A local English (Yorkshire) name 
Blennius tasninnieus. of the common flounder. 
II. a. 1. Blustering; hectoring; ruffianly. bult 2 t, t. An obsolete (Middle English) form 
Those bully Greeks, who, as the moderns do, of bolt 2 . 
Instead of paying chairmen, run them thro'. bultelt, Same as boultel%. 
Smft, City Shower. bultert, . An obsolete form of bolter^. 
bultow (bul'to), H. [Said to be < bul ft, imply- 
ing 'large,' + tow, haul.] A mode of fishing 
for cod, by stringing a number of hooks on one 
line, practised on the Newfoundland banks. 
bulty (bul'ti), w. Same as bolti. _ I .__ v _ ._ r ,. ,. u _ 
i llt , bulwark (bul'wark), n. [Early mod. E. also bum 1 (bum), n. [< ftwml, v.] 1. An imitative 
' bulwarke, bullwarck, bulwerk ; <ME. bulwerk, of word expressive of a droning or humming sound, 
D. or Scand. origin: MD. bolwerek, D. and 
Flem. bolwerk = MLG. LG. bolwerk = late MHG. 
boleverc, boliverc, bolirerch, bolwerk, G. bollwerk 
C> Pol. bolwark = Russ. bolrerku = OF. bolle- 
wercque, boulvercli, boulererc, boulevert, boule- 
rerd, boulever, boulevart, F. boulevard, > Sp. Pg. 
baluarte = It. baluarte, baluardo, bcluardo, bello- 
ardo, bellouardo, now bal uardo = ML. bolevardus, 
bolvetus = E. boulevard, q. v.) = Sw. bolrerk, 
OSw. bolwark = Dan. bulrarrk, ODan. bulverk, 
4. To sponge on others for a living; lead an 
idle or dissolute life. [Colloq.] 
II. trans. 1. To dun. [Prov. Eng.] 2. To 
spin (a top). 3. [Cf. bumrfl.] To strike ; beat. 
toward ; overbear with bluster or menaces. 
For the last fortnight there have been prodigious shoals 
of volunteers gone over to bully the French, upon hearing 
the peace was just signing. Taller, No. 26. 
2. To make fearful ; overawe ; daunt ; terror- 
ize. [Bare.] 
Proverbs are excellent things, but we should not let even 
proverbs bully us. Lowell, Oration, Harvard, Nov. 8, 1880. 
= 8yn. 1. To browbeat, hector, domineer over. 
fi. intrans. To be loudly arrogant and over- 
bearing; be noisy and quarrelsome. 
So Britain's monarch once uncover'd sat, 
While Bradshaw bullied ill a broad-brimni'd hat. 
Bramnton. 
= Syn. To bluster, swagger, vapor. 
bully 2 (bul'i), u.; pi. bullies (-iz). [Origin ob- 
scure.] In mining, a kind of hammer used in 
striking the drill or borer. In its simplest form 
it has a square section at the eye and an octag- 
onal face. [Eng.] 
bully-cod (bul'i-kod), n. A Cornish name of 
the shanny. Also bully. 
bully-heatt (bul'i-hed), . A hammer used by 
as that made by the bee ; a hum. [Bare.] 
I ha' known 
Twenty such breaches pieced up, and made whole, 
Without a bum of noise. B. Janmn, Magnetick Lady. 
2f. A drink. 3. [Cf. &MJI, ., 4, and bummlt, 
u., 2.] A drunken loafer; one who leads an 
idle, dissolute life ; a bummer. [Colloq.] 4. 
A drunken spree ; a debauch. [Colloq. and vul- 
gar, U. S.] Hence 5. A convivial meeting. 
bulwerck, bullwerck, bolverck, bulwirke; < MD. ^ Unl 2 (bum), . [Contr. of bottom.] The but- 
bol, the bole or trunk of a tree, = MLG. bole, tocks ; the part of the body on which one sits. 
bolle, bale = MHG. bole, G. bolile, a thick plank, $ lla]c ' 
= OSw. bol, bul, Sw. bal = ODan. Dan. bul, bum 3 (bum), n. [Short for bumbailiff.] A bum- 
the trunk of a tree, = Icel. bolr, bult; > E. bole, bailiff ; the follower or assistant of a bailiff. 
the trunk of a tree, stem, log, + MD. D., etc., [p rO v. Eng.] 
werk = E. work. The word is thus lit. 'bole- bumastUS (bu-mas'tus), w. [L., <Gr. fiot'/Mo-rof, 
work,' a construction of logs; cf. the equiv. a i so 3 i,uao0of, a kind of vine bearing large 
MD. block-werck, lit. 'block-work.' The MHG. gi. a p es .] A kind of vine. 
is explained as also a,n engine for throwing mis- bumbt, ' and n. An obsolete form of boom*. 
siles, a catapult, as if related to MHG. boler, a bumbailiff (bum-ba'lif ), n. [Prop, a dial, or 
catapult, G. boiler, a small cannon, < OHd. co ]i O q. term, equiv. to bailiff, with a contemp- 
miners. Also called cat's-liead hammer or sledge. ^"',^ HG ' "?{, 6 te , roll throw, sling, = tuous'prefix of uncertain orTgin, prob. 5 MOT l,f, 
MD. bollen, roll, throw, D. bollen, haul, hale, f]un; bailiffs being best known and most dis- 
bullying (bul'i-ing), p. a. [Ppr. of bull;/ 1 , r.] 
Insulting with threats; imperious; overbear- 
ing; blustering: as, a bullying manner. 
bullyrag, bullirag (bul'i-rag), v. t. [Also writ- 
ten bauarag, etc.; appar. free variations of 
bully-rook, bully-rock, used as a verb.] To bully ; 
badger; abuse or scold: as, "he bully-ragged 
me," Lever. [Provincial and low.] 
from the same ult. source as bole: see 
1. Originally, a barrier formed of logs, beams, 
boards, hurdles, or other materials, for the ob- 
struction of a passage or defense of a place; 
now, specifically, in fort., a rampart; a mound 
of earth carried around a place, capable of re- 
sisting cannon-shot, and formed with bastions, 
buliy-rook'(bul'i-ruk), n. [Also written bully- chains, etc. ; a fortification. 
rock (see built/rat/), equiv. to LG. buller-bniok, 
buller-bak, a buily: see bully 1 . The second 
element is obscure.] A hectoring, boisterous 
fellow; a cowardly braggart; a bully. Also 
written bully-rock. [Obsolete or rare.] 
Suck in the spirit of sack, till we be delphic, and pro- 
phesy, my bully-rook. Shirley, Witty Fair One, iii. 4. 
The bully-rock of the establishment [an inn]. 
Irving, Sketch-Book, p. 152. 
bully-tree, bullet-tree (bul'i-, bul'et-tre), . 
[Also bulletrie, bolletrie; said to be a corruption 
of balata, the native name.] A name given 
to several sapotaceous trees of the West Indies 
and tropical America, which furnish hard and 
heavy timber, and in some species edible 
fruits. The bully-tree of Guiana is the Hinaisopt glo- 
boxa, a large tree which yields the balata-gum, a substi- 
tute for gutta-percha. The bully-trees of Jamaica are 
species of Lucuma, L. mammon and L. inulti flora, thouu'b 
the name is also applied to the naseberry or sapodilhi, 
Acftras Sajxtta, and species closely allied to it, and to u 
inyrsiriaceolis tree, Mimiii? lirlii. 'The white bully-tree of 
the West Indies is Dipholis galirijolia ; the black or red, 
D. nigra; the mountain, /). montana. The bastard bully- 
tree is Bumelia retusa. Also written bulletrie, bolletrie. 
liked in their office of arresting for debt and 
making executions; or perhaps &>l, n., as a 
term of contempt (cf. bum 3 ). Some assume the 
prefix to be bum 2 , in humorous allusion to a 
mode of " attaching" the person of a fleeing of- 
fender. Blackstone's suggestion that the term 
is a corruption of bound-bailiff is not supported.] 
An under-bailiff ; a subordinate civil officer, ap- 
pointed to serve writs and to make arrests and 
executions. [Vulgar.] 
I have a mortal antipathy to catchpolls, bumbaili/t, and 
little great men. Irving, Knickerbocker, p. 156. 
An obsolete 
My sayde Lorde of Winchester, . . . to theententtodis- 
tnrbe my sayd Lorde of Ulouceter goyng to the Kyng, pur- 
posyng his deth, in cause he had gone that weye, sette 
men of armys and archiers at the end of London bridge 
next Suthwerke, and in forbarriug of the Kyngis hygh- 
waye, lete drawe the chayne of the stnlpis there, and set , , j. /-, /i - j\ A . 
vppipesandhunlyllisinmanerandfournieof&MiwcrA-iX bumbarat (bum bard), H. ai I I. 
and sette men in chambirs, seleres and wyndowes with form of bombard. 
bowys and arowys, to y* entent of fynall distraction of my bllUlbarrel (bum / bar // el), n. 
sayd Lorde of Glouceteres pel-son. 
Arnold's Chronicle, 1602 (ed. 1811), p. 287. 
It is the strongest towne of walles, towres, bulicerke, 
watches, and wardes that euer I sawe in all my lyfe. 
A name of the 
long-tailed titmouse, Acredula rosea. 
bumbastt (bum'bast), . An obsolete form of 
bombast. 
Sir R. Ouyljorde, Pylgryiiiage, p. 10. blimbazed (bum-bazd'), pji. [Cf. bamboozle.] 
Its once grim bulwarks turned to lovers' walks. Amazed ; confused ; stupefied. [Scotch.] 
Lowell, Cathedral, bumbee (bum'be), 11. [< bum 1 + bee.] A bum- 
2. Xaut., a close barrier running around a ship blebee. [Scotch.] 
or a part of it, above the level of the deck, and bumbelo (bum'be-16), n. Same as bombolo. 
consisting of boarding nailed on the outside bumble (bum'bl), i: i. ; pret. and pp. bumblcil. 
boarding 
of the stanchions and timber-heads. 3. That 
which protects or secures against external an- 
noyance or injury of any kind; a screen or 
shelter; means of protection and safety. 
The royal navy of England hath ever been its greatest 
defence and ornament, . . . the floating bulwark of our 
island. Blackstone, Com., I. 418. 
ppr. bumbling. [= E. dial, and Se. viimmtr. 
biiminel,< ME. bumblen (=OD. bommelen = LG. 
bummeln), freq. of bumiiieii, hum: see Inim'.] 
If. To make a humming noise; boom; cry like 
a bittern. 
V- a bvtoinv buiiMitli in the mire. 
Chaucer, Wife of liath's Tale, 1. 116. 
