bullbat

[ boo l-bat ]

/ ˈbʊlˌbæt /

noun

nighthawk(def 1).

Nearby words

bullamakanka,
bullarium,
bullary,
bullate,
bullbaiting,
bullboat,
bullbrier,
bullbucker,
bulldog,
bulldog ant

Origin of bullbat

1830–40, Americanism; said to be so called from the noise it makes when flying. See bull¹, bat²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bullbat

They tell me that some folks call him Bullbat, though why they should call him either Bat or Hawk is beyond me.
The Burgess Bird Book for Children|Thornton W. Burgess

British Dictionary definitions for bullbat

bullbat

/ (ˈbʊlˌbæt) /

noun

another name for nighthawk (def. 1)

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