bulb en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈbʌb/ Southern US, African-American Vernacular, obsolete
- bŭlb
- /ˈbʌlb/
- (US) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree Ancient Greek βολβός (bolbós)bor. Latin bulbusder. English bulb Inherited from Middle English bulb, bolbe, from Latin bulbus (“bulb, onion”), from Ancient Greek βολβός (bolbós, “plant with round swelling on underground stem”).
Meanings
-
The bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant such as a tulip, consisting of a shortened stem and many fleshy scale leaves, from which the rest of the plant may be regrown.
the plants which grow in the earth from seed or bulbs.
2005, Plato, translated by Lesley Brown, Sophist, page 265c:Once it [a snowdrop variety] became established, some bulbs were lifted and passed on to be chipped (i.e. cut into small pieces and grown on).
2015 February 7, Val Bourne, “The quiet man of the world of snowdrops”, in The Daily Telegraph (London), page G8:
- (dated) The medulla oblongata.
-
Any solid object rounded at one end and tapering on the other, possibly attached to a larger object at the tapered end.
the bulb of the aorta
-
Any solid object rounded at one end and tapering on the other, possibly attached to a larger object at the tapered end. ▸ A light bulb (not necessarily bulbous in shape).
an incandescent bulb
an LED bulb
a fluorescent tube bulb
- A bulbous protuberance at the forefoot of certain vessels to reduce turbulence.
- (obsolete) An onion.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| bulbs | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
wet bulb · bulblike · bulb condenser · curb bulb · bulbhead · Edison bulb · dim bulb · bulbar · urethral bulb · dim-bulb · bulboid · bulbheaded · hair bulb · bulb-out · not the brightest bulb in the chandelier · wet-and-dry-bulb hygrometer · pseudobulb · tulip bulb · bulbectomy · hot bulb · bulb tee · not the brightest bulb · bulbless · flashbulb · light bulb · endbulb · bulbophile · lamp bulb · rebulb · dry-bulb temperature · wet bulb temperature · hemibulb · Mandelbulb · lamp-bulb · bulblet · bulb horn · bulby · wet bulbing · wet-bulb · dry bulb temperature · bulbitis · wet-bulb temperature · gliobulb · bus bulb
Relateds
bulbiferous · bulbous · bulbil
Translations (72)
la bulbus (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · ru утолще́ние (rounded solid object) · sh lukovica (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · ru ша́рик (rounded solid object) · fi kupu (rounded solid object) · nl bol (rounded solid object) · pt bulbo (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · uk цибу́лина (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · sk cibuľka (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · ru лу́ковица (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · io bulbo (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · hy կոճղեզ (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · ms bebawang (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · sh чебуљица (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · ja 球根 (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · eo bulbo (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · gd bolgan (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · es bulbo (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · he בָּצָל (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · pl cebulka (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · pt bulbo (rounded solid object) · km មើម (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · mk луковица (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · ga bleib (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · cs hlíza (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · da løg (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · ko 알뿌리 (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · ota صوغان (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · nl bloembol (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · ca bulb (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · hu virághagyma (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · sw glopu (rounded solid object) · el βολβός (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · ro bulb (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · is laukur (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · nn løk (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · cs bulva (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · es bulbo (rounded solid object) · es cabeza (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · de Zwiebel (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · hy սոխուկ (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · grc βολβός (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · et sibul (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · fr bulbe (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · hu gumó (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · fa پیاز (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · sl čebulica (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · el βολβός (rounded solid object) · oc bulb (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · sh луковица (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · cmn 鱗莖 /鳞茎 (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · ru вы́пуклость (rounded solid object) · bg лу́ковица (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · izh pumppu (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · io bulbo (rounded solid object) · sh čebuljica (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · luy eglopu (rounded solid object) · gl bulbo (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · it bulbo (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · ml ബൾബ് (rounded solid object) · ota بصل (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · ro bulb (rounded solid object) · cmn 泡 (rounded solid object) · id umbi lapis (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · fr bulbe (rounded solid object) · ka ბოლქვი (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · rar kiko (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · fi sipuli (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · sv lök (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · nb løk (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · ml കിഴങ്ങ് (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant) · sa कन्द (bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant)