bull-roarer

American  

[bool-rawr-er, -rohr-] / ˈbʊlˌrɔr ər, -ˌroʊr- /

noun

1. a wooden slat that produces a roaring sound when whirled around one's head on the end of a string or thong, used by some peoples of the world in religious ceremonies and by others as a toy.

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Etymology

Origin of bull-roarer

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bull-roarer

I have myself been fortunate enough to encounter the bull-roarer on the soil of ancient Greece and in connection with the Dionysiac mysteries.

From Custom and Myth New Edition by Andrew Lang

In the first place the bull-roarer is associated with mysteries and initiations.

From Custom and Myth New Edition by Andrew Lang

But Greek mysteries retained the daubing with mud and the use of the bull-roarer.

From Custom and Myth New Edition by Andrew Lang

Another leader carried the sacred bow and a bull-roarer, and they moved to its loud moaning sound.

From A Book-Lover's Holidays in the Open by Theodore Roosevelt

Among them was a bull-roarer, which a man sold me for a large sum, trembling violently with fear, and beseeching me not to show it to anybody.

From Two Years with the Natives in the Western Pacific by Felix Speiser