Bulle
English edit
Proper noun edit
Bulle
- A municipality, the capital of Gruyère district, Fribourg canton, Switzerland.
- A commune in Doubs department, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France.
German edit
Pronunciation edit
Etymology 1 edit
Via German Low German from Middle Low German bulle. Cognate with Dutch bul. More at bull.
Noun edit
Bulle m (weak, genitive Bullen, plural Bullen)
- bull (male cattle)
- (figurative) bull (strong or stout man)
Usage notes edit
- Though generally interchangeable with Stier, only Bulle is commonly used in agricultural contexts in northern and central Germany. The word is less frequent in the South.
Declension edit
Declension of Bulle [masculine, weak]
Synonyms edit
Derived terms edit
Etymology 2 edit
Documented since the 19th century. Probably from Polizist (or an abbreviation thereof), whose first syllable may in some dialects have become homophonous to Bulle (“bull”). Another possibility is a derivation from Puller or Landpuller, a non-derogatory term for a policeman of the 18th century.
Noun edit
Bulle m (weak, genitive Bullen, plural Bullen)
- (mildly derogatory) police officer, cop, pig
Usage notes edit
- The word is only mildly pejorative in colloquial speech; it is nevertheless punishable in Germany to use it in the presence of a police officer on duty.
Declension edit
Declension of Bulle [masculine, weak]
Derived terms edit
- Bullenschwein
- Bullette (female form; humorous)
- Bullerei
- guter Bulle, böser Bulle
Etymology 3 edit
From Middle High German bulle, from Medieval Latin bulla (“seal capsule”, literally “ball, bullet”).
Noun edit
Bulle f (genitive Bulle, plural Bullen)
- Bull (papal decree).
Declension edit
Declension of Bulle [feminine]
Further reading edit
- “Bulle” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
- “Bulle, Stier, Polizeibeamter” in Duden online
- “Bulle, Siegelkapsel, Urkunde” in Duden online
Saterland Frisian edit
Etymology edit
From Old Frisian *bula, from Proto-Germanic *bulô. More at bull.
Noun edit
Bulle m