bulbul

[ boo l-boo l ]

/ ˈbʊl bʊl /

noun

a songbird often mentioned in Persian poetry, regarded as being a nightingale.

any of several oscine birds of the family Pycnonotidae, of the Old World tropics.

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Commas mark divisions in sentences. Periods end declarative sentences. Apostrophes show possession. Easy, right? Well, punctuation can get pretty tricky—fast. Think you got what it takes to be a punctuation expert? Take our quiz to prove it!

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Which of the options below is the best punctuation for the sentence? It__s your turn to pick the movie __ but your sister gets to pick the board game we _ re going to play.

Its your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game were going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie, but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

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Origin of bulbul

Borrowed into English from Persian around 1775–85

Words nearby bulbul

bulbospinal, bulbourethral, bulbous, bulbous bougie, bulbous buttercup, bulbul, bulbus, bulfinch, bulg., bulgakov, bulganin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for bulbul

He could have said "bulbul," the word little Israeli kids use, but he didn't—he "confused" it.
Baron-Cohen's Bilbul|Elisheva Goldberg|June 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The Bulbul had no sooner finished her song than the Bullfrog began to make profuse apologies for having left his music at home.
A Bayard From Bengal|Hurry Bungsho Jabberjee
Nevertheless, when he thought of Mr. Bulbul, he could not feel easy in his mind.
Tales of Folk and Fairies|Katharine Pyle
The tinkling sounds of this bulbul form the dominant notes of the bird chorus.
Birds of the Indian Hills|Douglas Dewar

The Molpastes bulbul is a bird about half as big again as the sparrow, but with a longer tail.
Birds of the Indian Hills|Douglas Dewar
The Punjab bulbul is known as Molpastes intermedius, while the Madras bird is called M. hæmorrhous.
Birds of the Plains|Douglas Dewar

British Dictionary definitions for bulbul

bulbul

/ (ˈbʊlbʊl) /

noun

any songbird of the family Pycnonotidae of tropical Africa and Asia, having brown plumage and, in many species, a distinct crest

a songbird, taken to be the nightingale, often mentioned in Persian poetry

Word Origin for bulbul

C18: via Persian from Arabic

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012