bulrush

[ bool-ruhsh ]

noun

(in Biblical use) the papyrus, Cyperus papyrus.
any of various rushes of the genera Scirpus and Typha.

Origin of bulrush

1400–50; late Middle English bulrish papyrus, probably bull¹ + rishrush²

Words Nearby bulrush

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

How to use bulrush in a sentence

In the dens where dragons dwelt before, shall rise up the verdure of the reed and the bulrush.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | Various
Susan Maples was the first to lay hold of the thick end of the bulrush, by which Harry led her across.
The Nursery, August 1873, Vol. XIV. No. 2 | Various
"Golly, but she's a gold dollar in a gold bank," remarked Jesse bulrush warmly as he lurched into the street.
You Never Know Your Luck, Complete | Gilbert Parker
You don't mean that I was of more use than the nurse—than the future Mrs. Jesse bulrush?
You Never Know Your Luck, Complete | Gilbert Parker
She was not, however, prepared to see Jesse bulrush drive up with a buggy after breakfast and take Crozier away.
You Never Know Your Luck, Complete | Gilbert Parker

British Dictionary definitions for bulrush

bulrush

/ (ˈbʊlˌrʌʃ) /

noun

a grasslike cyperaceous marsh plant, Scirpus lacustris, used for making mats, chair seats, etc
a popular name for reed mace (def. 1)

a biblical word for papyrus (def. 1)

Origin of bulrush

C15 bulrish, bul- perhaps from bull 1 + rish rush ², referring to the largeness of the plant; sense 2 derived from the famous painting by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836–1912), Dutch-born English painter, of the finding of the infant Moses in the "bulrushes" — actually reed mace

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

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