Hull

¹ American  

[huhl] / hʌl /

noun

1. Bobby Robert Marvin Hull, 1939–2023, Canadian ice-hockey player, known as “the Golden Jet”: Hockey Hall of Fame 1983.

2. Cordell 1871–1955, U.S. secretary of state 1933–44, known as “the Father of the United Nations”: Nobel Peace Prize 1945.

3. William, 1753–1825, U.S. general, court-martialed and sentenced to death after surrendering a U.S. fort to the British during the War of 1812: pardoned by President Madison.

4. Official Name Kingston-upon-Hull.  a seaport in Humberside, in eastern England, on the Humber River.

5. a city in southeastern Canada, on the Ottawa River opposite Ottawa.

---

hull ² American  

[huhl] / hʌl /

noun

1. the hollow, lowermost portion of a ship, floating partially submerged and supporting the remainder of the ship.

2. Aeronautics.

   1. the boatlike fuselage of a flying boat on which the plane lands or takes off.

   2. the cigar-shaped arrangement of girders enclosing the gasbag of a rigid dirigible.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to pierce (the hull of a ship), especially below the water line.

verb (used without object)

1. to drift without power or sails.

idioms

1. hull down, (of a ship) sufficiently far away, or below the horizon, that the hull is invisible.

2. hull up, (of a ship) sufficiently near, or above the horizon, that the hull is visible.

hull ³ American  

[huhl] / hʌl /

noun

1. the husk, shell, or outer covering of a seed or fruit.

   Synonyms:

   shuck, rind, peel, pod, skin

2. the calyx of certain fruits, as the strawberry.

3. any covering or envelope.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to remove the hull of.

2. Midland U.S. to shell (peas or beans).

hull ¹ British  

/ hʌl /

noun

1. the main body of a vessel, tank, flying boat, etc

2. the shell or pod of peas or beans; the outer covering of any fruit or seed; husk

3. the persistent calyx at the base of a strawberry, raspberry, or similar fruit

4. the outer casing of a missile, rocket, etc

---

verb

1. to remove the hulls from (fruit or seeds)

2. (tr) to pierce the hull of (a vessel, tank, etc)

Hull ² British  

/ hʌl /

noun

1. a city and port in NE England, in Kingston upon Hull unitary authority, East Riding of Yorkshire: fishing, food processing; two universities. Pop: 301 416 (2001). Official name: Kingston upon Hull

2. a city in SE Canada, in SW Quebec on the River Ottawa: a centre of the timber trade and associated industries. Pop: 66 246 (2001)

---

Hull ³ British  

/ hʌl /

noun

1. Cordell. 1871–1955, US statesman; secretary of state (1933–44). He helped to found the U.N.: Nobel peace prize 1945

---

hull Scientific  

/ hŭl /

1. The dry outer covering of a fruit, seed, or nut; a husk.

2. The enlarged calyx of a fruit, such as a strawberry, that is usually green and easily detached.

---

Other Word Forms

• hull-less adjective
• huller noun

Etymology

Origin of hull¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; special use of hull ¹

Origin of hull¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English hulu “husk, pod”; akin to Old English helan “to cover, hide,” Latin cēlāre “to hide, conceal,” Greek kalýptein “to cover up” ( apocalypse ); conceal, hell

Example Sentences

For another, their armor protected their hulls against attack — the design rationale being that they would chiefly engage enemy vessels in battleship-to-battleship engagements — but their decks were susceptible to assault from the skies.

From Los Angeles Times

“Merely painting a flag on the side of a hull does not immediately grant that ship that nationality,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

All passengers and crew aboard the cruise ship have been reported safe, and initial inspections have not revealed any damage to the hull.

From BBC

The Navy will launch a competition to choose a vendor, and plans to procure the first hull in 2030, the official said.

From The Wall Street Journal

The first Chinese carrier was refurbished from a Soviet-made hull purchased from Ukraine in 1998, while the second carrier’s design was based largely on the first.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• frame
• skin