bulbul

[ bool-bool ]

/ ˈbʊl bʊl /

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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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Origin of bulbul

Borrowed into English from Persian around 1775–85

Words nearby bulbul

bulbourethral, bulbourethral gland, bulbous, bulbous bougie, bulbous buttercup, bulbul, bulbus, Bulfinch, Bulg., Bulgakov, Bulganin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use bulbul in a sentence

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 sitting bulbul does not appear to mind the daily shower-bath it receives when the mali waters the plant.
A Bird Calendar for Northern India|Douglas Dewar
The hen has the appearance of a kind of bulbul, being chestnut-hued with a white breast and a metallic blue-black crest.
A Bird Calendar for Northern India|Douglas Dewar
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

The bulbul eyed this performance thoughtfully; a tiger lying down for a sleep was something not to waste time over.
The Three Sapphires|W. A. Fraser
Like a streamer from the topmast of a yacht the bulbul, weaving back and forth, showed Finnerty the tiger was on the move.
The Three Sapphires|W. A. Fraser

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