hull

¹

[huhl]

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

²

[huhl]

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.

Hull

³

[huhl]

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

¹

/ 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

²

/ 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

³

/ 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

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

Word History and Origins

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

Origin of hull²

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of hull¹

Old English hulu; related to Old High German helawa, Old English helan to hide

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

It was sanctioned by the European Union this year under the name Kiwala, while French television showed that it had the name “Boracay” painted on its hull.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In small factories across America, agile automatons are making everything from parts for AI supercomputers to the hulls of America’s future autonomous naval weapons.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Because of the chaos outside, the crew may not have noticed holes in their hull.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“I always told my brother, it’s a wonder we don’t all glow in the dark,” Senkewitz said as he brushed his hand across the graffitied hull.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Sand dabs and halibut, still edible and plentiful there, were held in a net slung under the hull and served moments later.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• frame 
• skin