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. (Zool.) 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.
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Note: The wild bull of the Old Testament is thought to be the
oryx, a large species of antelope.
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2. One who, or that which, resembles a bull in character or
action. --Ps. xxii. 12.
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3. (Astron.)
(a) Taurus, the second of the twelve signs of the zodiac.
(b) A constellation of the zodiac between Aries and
Gemini. It contains the Pleiades.
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At last from Aries rolls the bounteous sun,
And the bright Bull receives him. --Thomson.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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