From Middle English lullen, lollen. Originally, perhaps expressive in origin from la-la-la or lu-lu-lu sounds made in calming a child. Compare Finnish laulaa (“to sing”) and Hiligaynon lala (“to sing a lullaby”).
Cognate with Scots lul, lule, loll (“to lull, put to sleep, howl, caterwaul”), Dutch lollen (“to sing badly, caterwaul”), Dutch lullen (“to chatter, prate, cheat, deceive”), Low German lullen (“to lull”), German lullen (“to lull”), Danish lulle (“to lull, sing to sleep”), Swedish lulla (“to lull”), Icelandic lúlla (“to lull”).
Meanings
A period of rest or soothing.
A period of reduced activity; a respite.
After this departure there is a lull—one can almost feel the weary station breathing thankfulness!—broken only by the car-sleeper departing at 10.25 from Platform 6 […]. There is normally another lull from 1.45 to 4.30 a.m. till the daily round begins again, […]. 1959 October 14, T. W. E. Roche, “Traffic Working at Dover Marine Station”, in Railway Magazine, page 682:
A period without waves or wind.
[…] during the lull, wind shifted to S. E. […] 1839, The Nautical Magazine and Naval Chronicle for 1839, page 26:
After the lull the wind does not appear to have blown with any great strength […] 1875, W. G. Wilson, Report of the Midnapore and Burdwan Cyclone of the 15th and 16th of October 1874, page 74:
The air under each cloud has spent time near the surface, has been slowed and backed by friction—it is a lull. 2016, David Houghton, Fiona Campbell, Wind Strategy, not paginated:
An extended pause between sets of waves.
About 2 hours in, a long lull cleared everyone out, and then it started getting a little more consistent and pushing chest ta neck high. 808surfer.com forum (password needed)
It is advisable to leave the surf zone during the lull between sets of larger waves, waiting outside the surf zone for a lull. 1992, John Warlaumont, The Noaa Diving Manual, page 19-19:
it quiete (a period of rest) · gl calma branca (a period without waves or wind.) · ru зати́шье (an extended pause between sets of waves.) · ru па́уза (a period of rest) · pt descanso (a period of rest) · it stasi (a period without waves or wind.) · tr sükûnet (a period of rest) · gl descanso (a period of rest) · it calma piatta (a period without waves or wind.) · it sosta (a period of rest) · nl rust (a period of rest) · pt folga (a period of rest) · ru переры́в (a period of rest) · bg затишие (a period without waves or wind.) · gl folganza (a period of rest) · it intervallo (a period of rest) · de Windstille (a period without waves or wind.) · pt calmaria (a period without waves or wind.) · it pausa (a period of rest) · ru штиль (a period without waves or wind.) · gl calma (a period without waves or wind.) · la quiēs (a period of rest) · ru переку́р (a period of rest) · de Flaute (a period without waves or wind.) · sv stiltje (a period of rest) · mk затишје (a period of rest) · it calma (a period of rest) · it calmeria (a period without waves or wind.) · tr ara (a period of rest) · mk затишје (a period without waves or wind.) · sv stiltje (a period without waves or wind.) · ga snag (a period of rest) · fr pause (a period of rest) · nl pauze (a period of rest) · it calma (a period without waves or wind.) · it bonaccia (a period without waves or wind.) · fr calme (a period without waves or wind.) · fr bonace (a period without waves or wind.) · ru зати́шье (a period of rest) · ru о́тдых (a period of rest)
From Middle English lullen, lollen. Originally, perhaps expressive in origin from la-la-la or lu-lu-lu sounds made in calming a child. Compare Finnish laulaa (“to sing”) and Hiligaynon lala (“to sing a lullaby”).
Cognate with Scots lul, lule, loll (“to lull, put to sleep, howl, caterwaul”), Dutch lollen (“to sing badly, caterwaul”), Dutch lullen (“to chatter, prate, cheat, deceive”), Low German lullen (“to lull”), German lullen (“to lull”), Danish lulle (“to lull, sing to sleep”), Swedish lulla (“to lull”), Icelandic lúlla (“to lull”).
Meanings
(transitive) To cause to rest by soothing influences; to compose; to calm
Such ſweet compulſion doth in muſick ly, / To lull the daughers of Neceſſity, 1634, John Milton, “Arcades”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […], London: […] Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, […], published 1646, →OCLC, page 54:
To lull him soft a sleepe 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto V”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 30:
To lull with song an aching heart 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XXXVII”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 57:
(intransitive) To become gradually calm; to subside; to cease or abate.
The storm lulled.
(transitive) To give somebody a false sense of security so that an unpleasant situation takes the person by surprise.
They lulled us into thinking we still had time.
[…] similarly, the empiriocritics' opposition to religion was a fraud intended to lull the vigilance of the proletariat and lead it by different paths in the same direction as religious mythology. 1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume II: The Golden Age, Oxford: Clarendon Press, translation of Główne nurty marksizmu: rozwój (in Polish), →ISBN, →OCLC, page 452:
ang swefian (to cause to rest) · cs ukolébat (to cause to rest) · sv vagga (to cause to rest) · kea nbala (to cause to rest) · fr calmer (to cause to rest) · it ninnare (to cause to rest) · tr yatıştırmak (to cause to rest) · bg утихвам (to become gradually calm; to subside; to cease or abate) · th กล่อม (to cause to rest) · ta அடங்கு (to become gradually calm; to subside; to cease or abate) · kea enbaladu (to become gradually calm; to subside; to cease or abate) · ru затиха́ть (to become gradually calm; to subside; to cease or abate) · nl kalmeren (to cause to rest) · gl acalentar (to cause to rest) · fr apaiser (to cause to rest) · it fare la ninna nanna (to cause to rest) · gl arrolar (to cause to rest) · sv vyssja (to cause to rest) · ta தாலாட்டு (to cause to rest) · sv lulla (to cause to rest) · ru успока́ивать (to cause to rest) · io dormigar (to cause to rest) · ru убаю́кивать (to cause to rest) · sv avta (to become gradually calm; to subside; to cease or abate) · sv bedarra (to become gradually calm; to subside; to cease or abate) · hu elringat (to cause to rest) · es adormecer (to cause to rest) · ru убаю́кать (to cause to rest) · ru зати́хнуть (to become gradually calm; to subside; to cease or abate) · es arrullar (to cause to rest) · mi oriori (to cause to rest) · nl in slaap wiegen (to cause to rest) · ru успоко́ить (to cause to rest) · km បំពេ (to cause to rest) · fa لالا کردن (to cause to rest) · arn zikukeñen (to cause to rest) · bg приспивам (to cause to rest) · grc βαυκαλάω (to cause to rest) · de beruhigen (to cause to rest) · fr bercer (to cause to rest) · pms niné (to cause to rest) · ru усыпи́ть (to cause to rest) · sh miran (to cause to rest) · pt embalar (to cause to rest) · mi whakanewha (to cause to rest) · ru усыпля́ть (to cause to rest) · it cullare (to cause to rest) · tr dinmek (to become gradually calm; to subside; to cease or abate) · fi tuudittaa (to cause to rest) · pl lulać (to cause to rest) · it indurre al sonno (to cause to rest) · ta உறக்கு (to cause to rest) · it fare addormentare (to cause to rest) · bg успокоявам (to cause to rest) · vi ru (to cause to rest) · ta துயிற்று (to cause to rest) · sh uljuljkan (to cause to rest) · cmn 催眠 (to cause to rest) · mi whakanā (to cause to rest)