bulla
Americannoun
plural
bullae-
a seal attached to an official document, as a papal bull.
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an ancient Roman pendant, consisting of a rounded box containing an amulet.
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Pathology. a large vesicle.
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Zoology. a blisterlike or bubblelike prominence of a bone, as that of the tympanic bone in the skull of certain mammals.
noun
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a leaden seal affixed to a papal bull, having a representation of Saints Peter and Paul on one side and the name of the reigning pope on the other
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an ancient Roman rounded metal or leather box containing an amulet, worn around the neck
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pathol another word for blister
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anatomy a rounded bony projection
Etymology
Origin of bulla
1840–50; < Latin: bubble, also stud, boss, knob (whence Medieval Latin bulla official seal)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The store sold everyday goods and featured a large brick oven that was used to make its famous bulla cakes, flavorful flat pastries made with flour, ginger and molasses.
From Washington Post • Jan. 13, 2021
In ancient times, a seal stamp, or bulla, was used to authenticate documents or items.
From Fox News • Apr. 1, 2019
Tympanic bulla smaller than foramen magnum; hind foot more than 74; geographic range wholly in United States.
From A Synopsis of the North American Lagomorpha by Hall, E. Raymond (Eugene Raymond)
From P. difficilis, P. ochraventer differs in having underparts distinctively brownish, rostrum expanded anteriorly with sides almost parallel, anteriormost loph of the first upper molar larger, and auditory bulla smaller.
From Mammals from Tamaulipas, Mexico by Baker, Rollin H. (Rollin Harold)
Tympanic bulla as large as foramen magnum; hind foot less than 74; geographic range limited to southern edge of Mexican tableland at high elevationsRomerolagus diazi, p.
From A Synopsis of the North American Lagomorpha by Hall, E. Raymond (Eugene Raymond)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
