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. Cor·dell [kawr, -del, kawr-, del], 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. a seaport in Humberside, in eastern England, on the Humber River. Official_name Kings·ton-up·on-Hull [kingz, -t, uh, n-, uh, -pon-, huhl, -, uh, -pawn-, king, -st, uh, n-].
5. a city in southeastern Canada, on the Ottawa River opposite Ottawa.

Hull

¹

/ hʌl /

noun

1. HullCordell18711955MUSPOLITICS: statesman Cordell. 1871–1955, US statesman; secretary of state (1933–44). He helped to found the U.N.: Nobel peace prize 1945

Hull

²

/ 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

/ 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

/ 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.

Derived Forms

• ˈhuller, noun
• ˈhull-less, adjective

Other Words From

• huller 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

There aren’t any kind of like aberrant cracks that could, you know, get bigger and start to lead to a bigger destruction in the hull.

From MIT Technology Review

That sort of messy destruction can leave behind cracks or structural damage that propagates through the rest of the spacecraft hull or pierce through the ammonia coolant system.

From MIT Technology Review

The largest pieces were identified and tracked, but debris that was less than 10 centimeters in length—pieces that still pose a threat to spacecraft hull—was allowed to zip through space undetected.

From MIT Technology Review

This fills with water as your weight presses down on the hull.

From Popular-Science

The ship sat for over a week before cracks emerged in its hull.

From Quartz

And, thanks to a transparent hull, exploring the deep and spotting rare marine life is practically a cinch.

From The Daily Beast

Jimbo and I walked up its ramp and into the hull, which looked like the gutted inside of a school bus.

From The Daily Beast

Four of them carried a thick black nylon body bag, two to a side, and loaded it into the middle of the hull.

From The Daily Beast

Meanwhile, the rest of hull is wide at the waterline and slopes inward.

From The Daily Beast

Having received a patent on the technology in 1986, Hull founded 3D Systems to commercialize his discoveries.

From The Daily Beast

In fact—on account of conditions beyond my choice and control—I spent too much time on the wrong side of the hull shields.

From Project Gutenberg

Again, mebbe it would–if the hull thing that happened next was accidentally a-purpose.

From Project Gutenberg

A party of American marines boarded her, hauled down the Spanish flag, and tried to save the hull, but it was too far consumed.

From Project Gutenberg

I'd be tickled to have the hull town come out an' see me cuttin' figger eight's in the clouds.

From Project Gutenberg

An dem pieces yo orated den was a hull lot nicer dan wat Mars Chet is sayin.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• frame
• skin