Dictionary.com

bushel

1
[ boosh-uhl ]
/ ˈbʊʃ əl /
Save This Word!

noun
a unit of dry measure containing 4 pecks, equivalent in the U.S. (and formerly in England) to 2,150.42 cubic inches or 35.24 liters (Win·ches·ter bushel ), and in Great Britain to 2,219.36 cubic inches or 36.38 liters (Im·pe·ri·al bushel ).Abbreviation: bu., bush.
a container of this capacity.
a unit of weight equal to the weight of a bushel of a given commodity.
a large, unspecified amount or number: a bushel of kisses.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of bushel

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English bu(i)sshel, bus(s)chel, from Old French boissel, boistiel, equivalent to boisse unit of measure for grain (from assumed Gaulish bostia; compare Middle Irish bas, bos “palm of the hand, handbreadth,” Breton boz “palm of the hand”) + -el noun suffix

Other definitions for bushel (2 of 2)

bushel2
[ boosh-uhl ]
/ ˈbʊʃ əl /

verb (used with object), bush·eled, bush·el·ing or (especially British) bush·elled, bush·el·ling.
to alter or repair (a garment).

Origin of bushel

2
1875–80, Americanism;<German bosseln to patch <French bosseler to emboss; see boss2

OTHER WORDS FROM bushel

bush·el·er; especially British, bush·el·ler, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bushel in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bushel (1 of 2)

bushel1
/ (ˈbʊʃəl) /

noun
a Brit unit of dry or liquid measure equal to 8 Imperial gallons. 1 Imperial bushel is equivalent to 0.036 37 cubic metres
a US unit of dry measure equal to 64 US pints. 1 US bushel is equivalent to 0.035 24 cubic metres
a container with a capacity equal to either of these quantities
US informal a large amount; great deal
hide one's light under a bushel to conceal one's abilities or good qualities

Word Origin for bushel

C14: from Old French boissel, from boisse one sixth of a bushel, of Gaulish origin

British Dictionary definitions for bushel (2 of 2)

bushel2
/ (ˈbʊʃəl) /

verb -els, -elling, -elled, -els, -eling or -eled
(tr) US to alter or mend (a garment)

Derived forms of bushel

busheller, busheler or bushelman, noun

Word Origin for bushel

C19: probably from German bosseln to do inferior work, patch, from Middle High German bōzeln to beat, from Old High German bōzan
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

Other Idioms and Phrases with bushel

bushel

see hide one's light under a bushel.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
FEEDBACK