bulla
Americannoun
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a seal attached to an official document, as a papal bull.
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an ancient Roman pendant, consisting of a rounded box containing an amulet.
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Pathology. a large vesicle.
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Zoology. a blisterlike or bubblelike prominence of a bone, as that of the tympanic bone in the skull of certain mammals.
noun
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a leaden seal affixed to a papal bull, having a representation of Saints Peter and Paul on one side and the name of the reigning pope on the other
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an ancient Roman rounded metal or leather box containing an amulet, worn around the neck
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pathol another word for blister
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anatomy a rounded bony projection
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of bulla
1840–50; < Latin: bubble, also stud, boss, knob (whence Medieval Latin bulla official seal)
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.
The store sold everyday goods and featured a large brick oven that was used to make its famous bulla cakes, flavorful flat pastries made with flour, ginger and molasses.
From Washington Post • Jan. 13, 2021
In ancient times, a seal stamp, or bulla, was used to authenticate documents or items.
From Fox News • Apr. 1, 2019
The paroccipital process is separate from, or only extends to a slight degree upon the auditory bulla.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 4 "Carnegie Andrew" to "Casus Belli" by Various
Hind feet densely covered with long hair; ear short; tympanic bulla of moderate size.
From A Synopsis of the North American Lagomorpha by Hall, E. Raymond (Eugene Raymond)
The word is derived from the Early English bille, Anglo-Latin billa, from Latin bulla, in the medieval sense of “seal.”
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 7 "Bible" to "Bisectrix" by Various
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.
