bulbous
Americanadjective
-
shaped like a bulb; swollen; bulging
-
growing from or bearing bulbs
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bulbous
From the Latin word bulbōsus, dating back to 1570–80. See bulb, -ous
Explanation
Something that's bulbous is round or bulging. If you hit your head on the edge of your locker, you may end up with a tender, bulbous lump. While anything that has the shape of a bulb — like an onion or a light bulb — can be described as bulbous, it almost always describes someone's nose. It's not very nice to tell your friend he has a bulbous nose, though it may be accurate. You can also call a plant bulbous if it's grown from a bulb. This is the earliest, 16th century use of the word, while the "bulb-shaped" meaning came along about 200 years later.
Vocabulary lists containing bulbous
"The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
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The Dragonet Prophecy
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The Maze Runner
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Bulbous of nose, white of coif, gravelly of voice, Puri projects such a delicious air of gruffness and what-me? fake innocence that he threatens to flip the film into altogether more rueful and salty territory.
From The Guardian • Aug. 8, 2014
Bulbous corpuscles are also known as Ruffini corpuscles, or type II cutaneous mechanoreceptors.
From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013
Bulbous corpuscles are also present in joint capsules, where they measure stretch in the components of the skeletal system within the joint.
From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013
Bulbous white sculptures hung in the blackness above the stages like clouds arrested in space.
From New York Times • Jan. 5, 2012
Bulbous plants are those which have a round root, and produce very few leaves; they are such as the tulip, hyacinth, crocus, and others.
From Eric or, Under the Sea by Samuels, S. B. C. (Susan Blagge Caldwell)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
