bully
English
/ˈbʊli/
noun
Definitions
- A person who is intentionally, physically, or emotionally cruel to others; especially to those who are weaker or have less power or privilege.
- A noisy, blustering fellow, more insolent than courageous; one who is threatening and quarrelsome; an insolent, tyrannical fellow.
- A hired thug.
- A sex worker’s minder.
- (uncountable) bully Bully beef.
- (obsolete) A brisk, dashing fellow.
- The small scrum in the Eton College field game.
- Various small freshwater or brackishwater fish of the family ; . bully, Gobiomorphus cotidianus.The ,
- (obsolete) An (eldest) brother; a fellow workman; comrade
- (dialectal) A companion; mate .
- (obsolete) A darling, sweetheart .
- (field hockey) A standoff between two players from the opposing teams, who repeatedly hit each other's hockey sticks and then attempt to acquire the ball, as a method of resuming the game in certain circumstances.
- (mining) A miner's hammer.
Etymology
Derived from Dutch, Flemish boel (brother, lover, bunch) derived from Middle Dutch boel derived from Old Dutch *buolo derived from Proto-Germanic *bōlô.
Origin
Proto-Germanic
*bōlô
Gloss
Timeline
Distribution of cognates by language
Geogrpahic distribution of cognates
Cognates and derived terms
- antibully English
- antibullying English
- bulliable English
- bullier English
- bulliness English
- bullyable English
- bullydom English
- bullying English
- bullyingly English
- bullyish English
- bullyism English
- bullylike English
- bullyman English
- bullyproof English
- bullysome English
- cyberbully English
- cyberbullying English
- e-bullying English
- nonbully English
- nonbullying English
- outbully English
- unbulliable English
- unbullying English
- Buhle German
- boel Dutch, Flemish
- boeleren Dutch, Flemish
- boelhuis Dutch, Flemish
- bully Dutch, Flemish
- janboel Dutch, Flemish
- warboel Dutch, Flemish
- буллинг Russian
- bulear Spanish, Castilian
- bullying Portuguese
- *bō- Proto-Germanic
- *bōlô Proto-Germanic
- bulaí Irish
- bulaíocht Irish
- boel Middle Dutch
- boelie Afrikaans
- buole Middle High German
- *buolo Old Dutch