bulla
1 Americannoun
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bullae
plural
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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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bullas
plural
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.
See Examples For:
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
An inflammatory swelling or sore; a bulla, pustule, or blister.
From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd 100 Pages) by Noah Webster
L. bullire to be in a bubbling motion, from bulla bubble; akin to Gr.
From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd 100 Pages) by Noah Webster
From P. difficilis, P. ochraventer differs in having underparts distinctively brownish, rostrum expanded anteriorly with sides almost parallel, anteriormost loph of the first upper molar larger, and auditory bulla smaller.
From Mammals from Tamaulipas, Mexico by Rollin H. (Rollin Harold) Baker
In 2017, Iraq received 450 cuneiform tablets and 3,000 ancient bullae, or seals, from the Museum and Green family firm Hobby Lobby paid a $3 million fine.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 28, 2022
They included cuneiform tablets, ancient cylinder seals and clay seal impressions known as bullae.
From New York Times ● Aug. 3, 2021
They included 4,000-year-old cuneiform tablets, slivers of papyrus, cylinder seals and clay bullae — all relics from ancient Mesopotamia that showcased some of the earliest forms of written communication.
From New York Times ● Apr. 5, 2020
In 1986 archaeologists revealed that several lumps of figured clay called bullae, bought from Arab dealers in 1975, had once been used to mark documents.
From Time Magazine Archive
The specimen resembles curti in shortness of tail and in having small auditory bullae.
From The Recent Mammals of Tamaulipas, Mexico by Ticul Alvarez
It is named from the Latin plural bullas, meaning the round bosses which the Romans put on their bridles.
From Herbal Simples Approved for Modern Uses of Cure by William Thomas Fernie
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.
