King James Bible Dictionary

Wild, caught in nets
Isaiah 51:20

Blood of, in sacrifice
Hebrews 9:13; Hebrews 10:4
Bullock; Offerings

BULL, noun

1. The male of the Bos, or bovine genus of quadrupeds, of which cow is the female.

2. In a scriptural sense, an enemy, powerful, fierce and violent.

Many bulls have compassed me. Psalms.

3. Taurus, one of the twelve signs of the zodiac.

BULL, noun [Latin bulla, a boss, and an ornament worn on a child's neck. This name was given to the seal which was appended to the edicts and briefs of the Pope, and in process of time, applied to the edict itself.]

1. A letter, edict or rescript of the Pope, published or transmitted to the churches over which he is head, containing some decree, order or decision. It is used chiefly in matters of justice or of grace. If the former, the lead or seal is hung by a hempen cord; if the latter, by a silken thread. The lead or bull is impressed on one side with the heads of St. Peter and St. Paul; on the other with the name of the Pope and the year of his pontificate. The writing is in the old, round Gothic letter; and the instrument has about it a cross with some text of scripture, or religious motto.

The Golden bull so called from its golden seal, is an edict or imperial constitution, made by the Emperor Charles V., containing the fundamental law of the German Empire.

Leaden Bulls were sent by the Emperors of Constantinople to patriarchs and princes; and by the grandees of the Empire of France, Sicily, etc., and by patriarchs and bishops.

Waxen bulls were in frequent use with the Greek Emperors, who thus sealed letters to their relations.

1. A blunder or contradiction.

BULL, a prefix, signifies a bull or large, or having a large head.

BULL'-BAITING, noun [bull and bait.] The practice of baiting or exciting bulls with dogs.

BULL'-BEEF, noun [bull and beef.] The flesh of a bull; coarse beef.

BULL'-BEGGAR, noun [bull and beggar.] Something terrible, or frightful.

BULL'-CALF, noun [bull and calf.] A male calf; a stupid fellow.

BULL'-DOG, noun [bull and dog.] A species of dog of a particular form and of remarkable courage; so named probably from being employed in baiting bulls, or from the size of the head.

terms used synonymously with ox, oxen, and properly a generic name for horned cattle when a full age and fit for the plough. It is variously rendered "bullock," (Isaiah 65:25) "cow," (Ezekiel 4:15) "oxen," (Genesis 12:16) Kine is used in the Bible as the plural of cow. In (Isaiah 51:20) the "wild bull" ("wild ox" in (14:5)) was possibly one of the larger species of antelope, and took its name from its swiftness. Dr. Robinson mentions larger herds of black and almost harmless buffaloes as still existing in Palestine, and these may be the animal indicated.

BULL'ACE, noun The bully-tree, or Chrysophyllum, a plant of two species, natives of the West Indies.

1. The wild plum, a species of Prunus.

BULLAN'TIC, adjective [from bull.] Designating certain ornamental capital letters, used in Apostolic bulls. It is used also as a noun.

BULL'ARY, noun A collection of Papistical bulls.

BUL'LATE, adjective [Latin bullatus.] Having elevations, like blisters; as a bullate leaf.

BULL'ET, noun A ball of iron or lead, called also shot, used to load guns for killing man or beast. Balls for cannon are made of iron; musket-balls are made of lead.

BULL'ETIN, noun A French word denoting

1. An official report from an officer to his commander or superior.

2. An official report of a physician respecting the king's health.

3. A little note given by a banking company.

4. It is sometimes used for a notice, or public announcement; as a bibliographical bulletin

BULL'-FIGHT, noun [bull and fight.] A combat with a bull; an amusement among the Spaniards and Portuguese. A horseman, called a toreador or picador attacks a bull in a circus or inclosed arena, in presence of multitudes of spectators, irritating him with a spear, till the bull rushes upon the horseman, and perhaps dismounts the rider. After the bull has been tormented a long time, the horseman leaves him, and some persons on foot attack him and plunge darts into his neck; and at a signal given by the president, the barbarous sport is ended by the dagger of a matador.

BULL'-FINCH, noun [bull and finch.] A bird of the Sparrow kind, whose breast, cheeks and throat are of a crimson color; the rubicilla.

BULL'-FLY, or BULL'-BEE, noun An insect.

BULL'-FROG, noun [bull and frog.] The rana ocellata, a large species of frog, found in North America, of a dusky brown color, mixed with a yellowish green, and spotted with black. These frogs live in stagnant water, and utter a loud croaking sound, from which they probably received their name.

BULL'-HEAD, noun [bull and head.] A genus of fishes, the Cottus, with a head broader than the body, whence the name. This fish is called by some the Miller's thumb.

1. A stupid fellow; a lubber.

2. A small black water vermin.

BULL'-TROUT, noun [bull and trout.] A large species of trout, called also sea-trout, thicker than the common sort, and weighing about three pounds. Its back has a bluish green gloss, and there are several black spots on the sides.

BULL'-WEED, noun Knap weed.

BULL'-WORT, noun Bishops weed.

BULL'ION, noun Uncoined gold or silver in the mass. The precious metals are called bullion when smelted and not perfectly refined, or when refined, but in bars, ingots, or in any form uncoined, as in plate.

BULL'ISH, adjective Partaking of the nature of a bull or blunder.

BULL'IST, noun A writer of papal bulls.

BUL'LITE, noun A petrified shell, or the fossil remains of shells, of the genus Bulla.

BULLI'TION, noun [Latin bullio, to boil. See Boil.] The act or state of boiling. Superseded by ebullition.

1. The translation of a word which is a generic name for horned cattle (Isaiah 65:25). It is also rendered "cow" (Ezekiel 4:15), "ox" (Genesis 12:16).

2. The translation of a word always meaning an animal of the ox kind, without distinction of age or sex (Hosea 12:11). It is rendered "cow" (Numbers 18:17) and "ox" (Leviticus 17:3).

3. Another word is rendered in the same way (Jeremiah 31:18). It is also translated "calf" (Leviticus 9:3; Micah 6:6). It is the same word used of the "molten calf" (Exodus 32:4, 8) and "the golden calf" (1 Kings 12:28).

4. In Judges 6:25; Isaiah 34:7, the Hebrew word is different. It is the customary word for bulls offered in sacrifice. In Hosea 14:2, the Authorized Version has "calves," the Revised Version "bullocks."

BULL'OCK, noun An ox, or castrated bull. In America, it is applied to a full grown ox.

Uses of:

For sacrifice
Exodus 29:3; Exodus 29:10-14; Exodus 29:36; Leviticus 4:8; Leviticus 4:16; Numbers 7:87-88; Numbers 28:11-31; Numbers 4:29

For plowing
1 Samuel 14:14; 1 Kings 19:19; Proverbs 14:4; Isaiah 32:20; Jeremiah 31:18

For treading out corn
Deuteronomy 25:4

With wagons
Numbers 7:3-8; 2 Samuel 6:3-6

Laws concerning:

Trespass by
Exodus 21:28-36

Theft of
Exodus 22:1-10

Rest for
Exodus 23:12

Not to be muzzled, when treading grain
Deuteronomy 25:4; 1 Corinthians 9:9; 1 Timothy 5:18

Not to be yoked with an ass
Deuteronomy 22:10

Twelve brazen, under the molten sea in Solomon's temple
1 Kings 7:25; 2 Chronicles 4:4; Jeremiah 52:20
Bull; Cattle

Symbolic
Ezekiel 1:10; Revelation 4:7

BULL'S-EYE, noun [bull and eye.] Among seamen, a piece of wood in the form of a ring, answering the purpose of a thimble.

1. Aldebaran, a star of the first magnitude in the constellation Taurus.

2. A small obscure cloud, ruddy in the middle, portending a great storm.

BULL'-FACED, adjective Having a large face.

BULL'-FEAST, noun [See Bull-fight.]

BULL'Y, noun A noisy, blustering overbearing fellow, more distinguished for insolence and empty menaces, than for courage, and disposed to provoke quarrels.

BULL'Y, verb transitive To insult and overbear with noise and blustering menaces.

BULL'Y, , verb intransitive To be noisy and quarrelsome.