bull

The word “bull” means an adult male of cattle, or of certain other large animals such as elephants and whales. In plain terms, a male cattle animal; also used for a rising financial market, or informally for nonsense.

“Bull” is pronounced buul (/bʊl/ in IPA).

Here is “bull” used in a sentence: “The farmer kept a prize bull separate from the herd.”

Depending on how it is used, “bull” can be a noun and an adjective.

The word “bull” comes from Old English. From Old English bula and Old Norse boli, both meaning "bull," from a Germanic root related to swelling or blowing up — describing the animal's bulk.

“Bull” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Bull” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: an adult male of cattle, or of certain other large animals such as elephants and whales.

A bull is an adult male of cattle, while a cow is an adult female. The same male-versus-female distinction applies to certain other large animals, such as elephants and whales, where the male is also called a bull.

A bull is an uncastrated adult male of cattle kept mainly for breeding, whereas an ox is typically a castrated adult male trained to pull loads and do heavy work. The words are not interchangeable, because the difference lies in whether the animal is intact and what it is used for.

A bull market is one where prices are rising or expected to rise, reflecting optimism among investors. A bear market is the opposite, describing falling prices and a generally pessimistic outlook.

The adjective 'bull' describes a market where prices are rising or expected to rise, and an investor who expects prices to climb is described as bullish. It contrasts with 'bear', which is used for markets that are falling.