bulla

[ bool-uh, buhl-uh ]

/ ˈbʊl ə, ˈbʌl ə /

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See synonyms for bulla on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural bul·lae

[bool-ee, buhl-ee]. /ˈbʊl i, ˈbʌl i/.

a seal attached to an official document, as a papal bull.

an ancient Roman pendant, consisting of a rounded box containing an amulet.

Pathology. a large vesicle.

Zoology. a blisterlike or bubblelike prominence of a bone, as that of the tympanic bone in the skull of certain mammals.

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Origin of bulla

1840–50; <Latin: bubble, also stud, boss, knob (whence Medieval Latin bulla official seal)

Words nearby bulla

bulk mail, bulk modulus, bulk up, bulky, bull, bulla, bullace, Bullamakanka, bull ant, bullarium, bullary

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bulla in a sentence

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.
The Jamaican connection|Robert Samuels|January 13, 2021|Washington Post
“I promised myself to change this cycle of life,” said Victor Bulla.
In South Sudan, Girls Are Given Away to Settle Family Feuds|Tom Rhodes|April 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Its decoration consisted in part of a Swastika similar in form and style to the Etruscan gold “bulla,” fig. 188 in this paper.
The Swastika|Thomas Wilson
In the latter there is a considerable bulging below the aperture of the ear called the bulla tympani, or bulb of the drum.
Natural History of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon|Robert A. Sterndale

The great cavity is the bulla tympani or bulb of the ear; a m is the auditory meatus or external hole of the ear.
Natural History of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon|Robert A. Sterndale
As a director of the Southwest Museum, Bulla performs another of his services to the community.
Sixty Years in Southern California 1853-1913|Harris Newmark
The external auditory aperture (fig. 75, 7) is a large opening with rough edges at the outer side of the tympanic bulla.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds

British Dictionary definitions for bulla

bulla

/ (ˈbʊlə, ˈbʌlə) /

noun plural -lae (-liː)

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

an ancient Roman rounded metal or leather box containing an amulet, worn around the neck

pathol another word for blister (def. 1)

anatomy a rounded bony projection

Word Origin for bulla

C19: from Latin: round object, bubble

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

bulla

Origin of bulla

Words nearby bulla

Words related to bulla

How to use bulla in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bulla

Word Origin for bulla