bulla
[ boo l-uh, buhl-uh ]
/ ˈbʊl ə, ˈbʌl ə /
|
noun, plural bul·lae [boo l-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.
Nearby words
Origin of bulla
1840–50; < Latin: bubble, also stud, boss, knob (whence Medieval Latin bulla official seal)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for bullae
British Dictionary definitions for bullae
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
Word Origin and History for bullae
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for bullae
bulla
[ bul′ə ]
n. pl. bul•lae (bul′ē)
A large blister or vesicle of pathological origin.
A bubblelike structure.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.