bulla

See also: Bulla, buļļa, bülla, and ɓulla

English

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin bulla (“bubble”). Doublet of bill and bull (“papal bull; bubble”).

Noun

bulla (plural bullae)

1. (biology, medicine) A blister, vesicle, or other thin-walled cavity or lesion, as:
   1. (biology, medicine) (usually and especially) Such a blister that is more than 5 mm in diameter.

      Coordinate terms: vesicle, vesicula

2. (archaeology) A clay envelope or hollow ball, typically with seal impressions or writing on its outside indicating its contents.
3. (historical) In ancient Rome, a kind of amulet or boss.
4. Later, a handwritten document from the papal chancellery.
5. (biology) Any of several hollow structures as features of bones.

   auditory bulla;   ethmoid bulla

   1. The tympanic part of a temporal bone (having a bubble-like appearance).

Derived terms

• bullectomy

Translations

blister, vesicle or lesion

Chinese: Mandarin: 大泡 (zh) (dàpào) Dutch: blaar (nl) m, blein (nl) f (Belgium), bulla (nl) f Finnish: vesikello (fi), vesirakkula (fi)

See also

• bullous

Etymology 2

Noun

bulla (countable and uncountable, plural bullas)

1. A rich Jamaican cake made with molasses and spiced with ginger and nutmeg.

Further reading

• bulla on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Darkinjung

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bʊllɐ/, /pʊllɐ/

Numeral

bulla

1. two

Faroese

Etymology

From Old Norse *bulla, from Proto-Germanic *bullōną.

Verb

bulla (third person singular past indicative bullaði, third person plural past indicative bullaðu, supine bullað)

1. to bubble, gush up
2. to speak unintelligibly
3. to gabble, babble, talk nonsense, twaddle
4. to simmer

Conjugation

Conjugation of bulla (group v-30)

infinitive	bulla
supine	bullað
	present	past
first singular	bulli	bullaði
second singular	bullar	bullaði
third singular	bullar	bullaði
plural	bulla	bullaðu
participle (a6)1	bullandi	bullaður
	imperative
singular	bulla!
plural	bullið!

¹Only the past participle being declined.

Further reading

• "bulla" at Sprotin.fo

Finnish

 bulla on Finnish Wikipedia

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin bulla.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbulːɑ/, [ˈbulːɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -ulːɑ
• Hyphenation^(key): bul‧la

Noun

bulla

1. bull (papal bull)

Declension

Inflection of bulla (Kotus type 10/koira, no gradation)
nominative		bulla	bullat
genitive		bullan	bullien
partitive		bullaa	bullia
illative		bullaan	bulliin
		singular	plural
nominative		bulla	bullat
accusative	nom.	bulla	bullat
	gen.	bullan
genitive		bullan	bullien bullain rare
partitive		bullaa	bullia
inessive		bullassa	bullissa
elative		bullasta	bullista
illative		bullaan	bulliin
adessive		bullalla	bullilla
ablative		bullalta	bullilta
allative		bullalle	bullille
essive		bullana	bullina
translative		bullaksi	bulliksi
abessive		bullatta	bullitta
instructive		—	bullin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of bulla (Kotus type 10/koira, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative bullani bullani accusative nom. bullani bullani gen. bullani genitive bullani bullieni bullaini rare partitive bullaani bulliani inessive bullassani bullissani elative bullastani bullistani illative bullaani bulliini adessive bullallani bullillani ablative bullaltani bulliltani allative bullalleni bullilleni essive bullanani bullinani translative bullakseni bullikseni abessive bullattani bullittani instructive — — comitative — bullineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative bullasi bullasi accusative nom. bullasi bullasi gen. bullasi genitive bullasi bulliesi bullaisi rare partitive bullaasi bulliasi inessive bullassasi bullissasi elative bullastasi bullistasi illative bullaasi bulliisi adessive bullallasi bullillasi ablative bullaltasi bulliltasi allative bullallesi bullillesi essive bullanasi bullinasi translative bullaksesi bulliksesi abessive bullattasi bullittasi instructive — — comitative — bullinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative bullamme bullamme accusative nom. bullamme bullamme gen. bullamme genitive bullamme bulliemme bullaimme rare partitive bullaamme bulliamme inessive bullassamme bullissamme elative bullastamme bullistamme illative bullaamme bulliimme adessive bullallamme bullillamme ablative bullaltamme bulliltamme allative bullallemme bullillemme essive bullanamme bullinamme translative bullaksemme bulliksemme abessive bullattamme bullittamme instructive — — comitative — bullinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative bullanne bullanne accusative nom. bullanne bullanne gen. bullanne genitive bullanne bullienne bullainne rare partitive bullaanne bullianne inessive bullassanne bullissanne elative bullastanne bullistanne illative bullaanne bulliinne adessive bullallanne bullillanne ablative bullaltanne bulliltanne allative bullallenne bullillenne essive bullananne bullinanne translative bullaksenne bulliksenne abessive bullattanne bullittanne instructive — — comitative — bullinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative bullansa bullansa accusative nom. bullansa bullansa gen. bullansa genitive bullansa bulliensa bullainsa rare partitive bullaansa bulliaan bulliansa inessive bullassaan bullassansa bullissaan bullissansa elative bullastaan bullastansa bullistaan bullistansa illative bullaansa bulliinsa adessive bullallaan bullallansa bullillaan bullillansa ablative bullaltaan bullaltansa bulliltaan bulliltansa allative bullalleen bullallensa bullilleen bullillensa essive bullanaan bullanansa bullinaan bullinansa translative bullakseen bullaksensa bullikseen bulliksensa abessive bullattaan bullattansa bullittaan bullittansa instructive — — comitative — bullineen bullinensa

Further reading

• “bulla”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /by.la/

Verb

bulla

1. third-person singular past historic of buller

Galician

Verb

bulla

1. inflection of bullar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpʏtla/
• Rhymes: -ʏtla

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Verb

bulla (weak verb, third-person singular past indicative bullaði, supine bullað)

1. (intransitive) to talk nonsense

   Synonyms: rugla, þvæla, þvaðra

2. (intransitive) to boil, to bubble up

   Synonym: sjóða

Conjugation

infinitive (nafnháttur)		að bulla
supine (sagnbót)		bullað
present participle (lýsingarháttur nútíðar)		bullandi
	indicative (framsöguháttur)			subjunctive (viðtengingarháttur)
present (nútíð)	ég bulla	við bullum	present (nútíð)	ég bulli	við bullum
	þú bullar	þið bullið		þú bullir	þið bullið
	hann, hún, það bullar	þeir, þær, þau bulla		hann, hún, það bulli	þeir, þær, þau bulli
past (þátíð)	ég bullaði	við bulluðum	past (þátíð)	ég bullaði	við bulluðum
	þú bullaðir	þið bulluðuð		þú bullaðir	þið bulluðuð
	hann, hún, það bullaði	þeir, þær, þau bulluðu		hann, hún, það bullaði	þeir, þær, þau bulluðu
imperative (boðháttur)	bulla (þú)	bullið (þið)
	Forms with appended personal pronoun
	bullaðu	bulliði *
* Spoken form, usually not written; in writing, the unappended plural form (optionally followed by the full pronoun) is preferred.

bulla — active voice (germynd)

infinitive (nafnháttur)		að bullast
supine (sagnbót)		bullast
present participle (lýsingarháttur nútíðar)		bullandist ** ** the mediopassive present participle is extremely rare and normally not used; it is never used attributively or predicatively, only for explicatory subclauses
	indicative (framsöguháttur)			subjunctive (viðtengingarháttur)
present (nútíð)	ég bullast	við bullumst	present (nútíð)	ég bullist	við bullumst
	þú bullast	þið bullist		þú bullist	þið bullist
	hann, hún, það bullast	þeir, þær, þau bullast		hann, hún, það bullist	þeir, þær, þau bullist
past (þátíð)	ég bullaðist	við bulluðumst	past (þátíð)	ég bullaðist	við bulluðumst
	þú bullaðist	þið bulluðust		þú bullaðist	þið bulluðust
	hann, hún, það bullaðist	þeir, þær, þau bulluðust		hann, hún, það bullaðist	þeir, þær, þau bulluðust
imperative (boðháttur)	bullast (þú)	bullist (þið)
	Forms with appended personal pronoun
	bullastu	bullisti *
* Spoken form, usually not written; in writing, the unappended plural form (optionally followed by the full pronoun) is preferred.

bullast — mediopassive voice (miðmynd)

strong declension (sterk beyging)	singular (eintala)				plural (fleirtala)
	masculine (karlkyn)	feminine (kvenkyn)	neuter (hvorugkyn)		masculine (karlkyn)	feminine (kvenkyn)	neuter (hvorugkyn)
nominative (nefnifall)	bullaður	bulluð	bullað		bullaðir	bullaðar	bulluð
accusative (þolfall)	bullaðan	bullaða	bullað		bullaða	bullaðar	bulluð
dative (þágufall)	bulluðum	bullaðri	bulluðu		bulluðum	bulluðum	bulluðum
genitive (eignarfall)	bullaðs	bullaðrar	bullaðs		bullaðra	bullaðra	bullaðra
weak declension (veik beyging)	singular (eintala)				plural (fleirtala)
	masculine (karlkyn)	feminine (kvenkyn)	neuter (hvorugkyn)		masculine (karlkyn)	feminine (kvenkyn)	neuter (hvorugkyn)
nominative (nefnifall)	bullaði	bullaða	bullaða		bulluðu	bulluðu	bulluðu
accusative (þolfall)	bullaða	bulluðu	bullaða		bulluðu	bulluðu	bulluðu
dative (þágufall)	bullaða	bulluðu	bullaða		bulluðu	bulluðu	bulluðu
genitive (eignarfall)	bullaða	bulluðu	bullaða		bulluðu	bulluðu	bulluðu

bullaður — past participle (lýsingarháttur þátíðar)

Derived terms

• bullandi

Related terms

• bull

Etymology 2

Noun

bulla f (genitive singular bullu, nominative plural bullur)

1. piston

   Synonym: stimpill

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	bulla	bullan	bullur	bullurnar
accusative	bullu	bulluna	bullur	bullurnar
dative	bullu	bullunni	bullum	bullunum
genitive	bullu	bullunnar	bullna, bulla	bullnanna, bullanna

Declension of bulla (feminine)

Derived terms

• bulludæla (“piston pump”)
• bulluhaus (“piston head”)
• bulluhiti (“piston operating temperature”)
• bulluhreyfill (“piston engine”)
• bulluhringur (“piston ring”)
• bulluhöfuð (“piston crown”)
• bullukollur (“piston head”)
• bulluslag (“piston stroke”)
• bullustrokkur (“piston barrel”)
• bullustýring (“piston guide”)
• bullustöng (“piston rod”)
• bulluvölur (“piston pin”)
• bulluþétti (“piston gasket, piston packing, piston seal”)
• bulluþjappa (“piston compressor”)
• vélbulluvölur (“piston pin”)

Etymology 3

Noun

bulla f (genitive singular bullu, nominative plural bullur)

1. bully

   Synonym: svoli

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	bulla	bullan	bullur	bullurnar
accusative	bullu	bulluna	bullur	bullurnar
dative	bullu	bullunni	bullum	bullunum
genitive	bullu	bullunnar	bullna, bulla	bullnanna, bullanna

Declension of bulla (feminine)

Irish

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

bulla m (genitive singular bulla, nominative plural bullaí)

1. (nautical) buoy
2. (medicine) bulla

Derived terms

• bulla cloig (“bell-buoy”)
• bulla eangaí (“float (of net)”)
• bulla feistithe (“mooring-buoy”)
• rópa bulla (“buoy-rope”)

Etymology 2

From Old Irish bulla, borrowed from Latin bulla.

Noun

bulla m (genitive singular bulla, nominative plural bullaí)

1. (Christianity) bull

Etymology 3

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

bulla m (genitive singular bulla, nominative plural bullaí)

1. (finance) bull

Etymology 4

Noun

bulla m (genitive singular bulla, nominative plural bullaí)

1. Alternative form of bolla (“bowl”)

Declension

Declension of bulla (fourth declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative bulla bullaí vocative a bhulla a bhullaí genitive bulla bullaí dative bulla bullaí forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an bulla na bullaí genitive an bhulla na mbullaí dative leis an mbulla don bhulla leis na bullaí

Mutation

Mutated forms of bulla

radical	lenition	eclipsis
bulla	bhulla	mbulla

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “bulla”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 bulla”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “bulla”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “bulla”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2025

Latin

Etymology

Uncertain. Possibly from Gaulish [Term?], from Proto-Indo-European *bew- (“swelling”),^[1][2] same source as Middle Dutch puyl (“bag”) and Lithuanian bule (“buttocks”), or from *bʰel- (“to blow, inflate, swell”).^[3][4] Ultimately onomatopoeic.^[5]

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈbul.la/, [ˈbʊlːʲä]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈbul.la/, [ˈbulːä]

Noun

bulla f (genitive bullae); first declension

1. a bubble
2. a swollen or bubble-shaped object, particularly:
   1. a knob, boss, or stud, as on doors, shields, etc.
   2. (historical) a bulla: a protective (usually golden) amulet worn by upper-class Roman children
   4. (Medieval Latin, historical) a round metallic seal certifying official medieval documents, particularly the golden imperial seal and the leaden papal one.
3. (Medieval Latin) a papal bull or other official document sealed with a bulla

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	bulla	bullae
genitive	bullae	bullārum
dative	bullae	bullīs
accusative	bullam	bullās
ablative	bullā	bullīs
vocative	bulla	bullae

Derived terms

• bullā dignus
• bullātus
• bullescō
• bulliō
• bullō
• bullula

Descendants

• Eastern Romance:
  • Romanian: bulă
• Italo-Dalmatian:
  • Italian: bolla
  • Sicilian: buḍḍa
• Western Romance:
  • Rhaeto-Romance:
    • Friulian: bole
  • Venetan: bóła
  • Gallo-Romance:
    • Old French: bole (“knob, ball; *bowl”)
      • Middle French: boule
        • French: boule
  • West Iberian:
    • Old Galician-Portuguese:
      • Galician: bola
      • Portuguese: bola, bolha
    • Old Spanish:
      • Spanish: bula
• Borrowings:
  • → Catalan: butlla
  • → English: bull, bulla
  • → Galician: bula
  • → Old Irish: bulla
    • Irish: bulla
  • → Polish: bulla
  • → Portuguese: bula
  • → Old French: bulle, boille, boule, boulle, burle, bille
    • Middle French: bulle
      • French: bulle
    • → Middle English: bulle
      • English: bull
      • Scots: bull, bul
    • → Middle English: bille
      • English: bill
  • ⇒ Vulgar Latin: *bolla (merger with Frankish *bollā; see there for more descendants)

References

• “bulla”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “bulla”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• "bulla", in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• bulla in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “bulla”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “bulla”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin

1. Roberts, Edward A. (2014) A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Spanish Language with Families of Words based on Indo-European Roots, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN, p. 202 & 750
2. Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “bull”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
3. Pokorny, Julius, Indogermanisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, Tübingen: A. Francke Verlag, 1959., p. 365
4. Skeat, An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, p. 78
5. Walde, Alois, Hofmann, Johann Baptist (1938–1954) “bulla”, in Lateinisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), 3rd edition, Heidelberg: Carl Winter

Phuthi

Verb

-búĺla

1. to be circumcised

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Polish

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:

bulla

Wikipedia ^pl

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin bulla.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbul.la/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ulla
• Syllabification: bul‧la

Noun

bulla f

1. (Roman Catholicism) bull (papal bull; a document from the papal chancellery)

Declension

	singular	plural
nominative	bulla	bulle
genitive	bulli	bulli
dative	bulli	bullom
accusative	bullę	bulle
instrumental	bullą	bullami
locative	bulli	bullach
vocative	bullo	bulle

Declension of bulla

Further reading

• bulla in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• bulla in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• bulla in PWN's encyclopedia

Spanish

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ˈbuʝa/ [ˈbu.ʝa]

• IPA^(key): (most of Spain and Latin America) /ˈbuʝa/ [ˈbu.ʝa]
• IPA^(key): (rural northern Spain, Andes Mountains, Paraguay, Philippines) /ˈbuʎa/ [ˈbu.ʎa]
• IPA^(key): (Buenos Aires and environs) /ˈbuʃa/ [ˈbu.ʃa]
• IPA^(key): (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay) /ˈbuʒa/ [ˈbu.ʒa]

 

• Rhymes: -uʝa

• Rhymes: -uʝa
• Rhymes: -uʎa
• Rhymes: -uʃa
• Rhymes: -uʒa

• Syllabification: bu‧lla

Etymology 1

Deverbal of bullir, from Latin bullīre (“to bubble, boil”), from bulla (“bubble”).

Noun

bulla f (plural bullas)

1. rowdiness, racket, ruckus
2. (Andalusia) urgence

Derived terms

• bullanga
• embullar

Descendants

• → Portuguese: bulha

Etymology 2

Verb

bulla

1. inflection of bullir:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “bulla”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10