bulbar

American  

[buhl-ber, -bahr] / ˈbʌl bər, -bɑr /

adjective

1. of or relating to a bulb, especially to the medulla oblongata.

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bulbar British  

/ ˈbʌlbə /

adjective

1. anatomy of or relating to a bulb, esp the medulla oblongata

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Other Word Forms

• nonbulbar adjective
• postbulbar adjective

Etymology

Origin of bulbar

First recorded in 1875–80; bulb + -ar ¹

Example Sentences

A condition of the disease called bulbar palsy slowed his tongue to the point his words wobbled enough that he sounded as if he were drunk.

From Slate • Feb. 4, 2025

His legal career was cut short, however, by a bout with bulbar polio, which left part of his face paralyzed.

From New York Times • Jan. 25, 2023

Also in Pocatello, Susan Pierce, seven, became ill with bulbar polio three days after her inoculation.

From Time Magazine Archive

Some doctors thought it was bulbar polio; others considered it meningitis.

From Time Magazine Archive

Quite similar fibrillar movements seem to be made by the tongue in bulbar paralysis, and in the case of dogs and guinea-pigs whose hypoglossus has been severed.

From The Mind of the Child, Part II The Development of the Intellect, International Education Series Edited By William T. Harris, Volume IX. by Preyer, William T.