Wiktionary

gull

See also: Gull

English edit

 
A gull

Pronunciation edit

  • enPR: gŭl, IPA(key): /ˈɡʌl/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -ʌl

Etymology 1 edit

From Middle English gulle, from a Brythonic language, from Proto-Brythonic *gwuɨlann, from Proto-Celtic *wēlannā (“seagull”). Cognate with Welsh gwylan, Cornish goolan, Breton gouelan, Old Irish faílenn, Scottish Gaelic faoileag. Compare French goéland, a borrowing from Breton.

Noun edit

gull (plural gulls)

  1. A seabird of the genus Larus or of the family Laridae.
    • 1947 January and February, O. S. Nock, “"The Aberdonian" in Wartime”, in Railway Magazine, page 8:
      The tide was out, and we drew up amid the strong bracing smell of seaweed, with gulls screeching, wheeling around, and gliding on the wind.
  2. Any of various pierid butterflies of the genus Cepora.
Synonyms edit
Derived terms edit
Translations edit

Etymology 2 edit

Perhaps from an obsolete term gull (“to swallow, guzzle”), from Middle English golen (“to make swallowing motions, gape”).[1]

Noun edit

gull (plural gulls)

  1. (slang) A cheating trick; a fraud.
  2. One easily cheated; a dupe.
  3. (obsolete, Oxford University slang) A swindler or trickster.
    • 1825, Bernard Blackmantle, The English Spy:
      You'll excuse me, sir, but as you are fresh, take care to avoid the gulls; they fly about here in large flocks, I assure you, and do no little mischief at times." "I never understood that gulls were birds of prey," said I.—"Only in Oxford, sir; and here, I assure you, they bite like hawks, and pick many a poor young gentleman as bare before his three years are expired, as the crows would a dead sheep upon a common. […] "
Synonyms edit

Verb edit

gull (third-person singular simple present gulls, present participle gulling, simple past and past participle gulled)

  2. To deceive or cheat.
  3. (US, slang) To mislead.
  4. (US, slang) To trick and defraud.
Synonyms edit
Derived terms edit
Translations edit

Etymology 3 edit

From Middle English gole (“a whirlpool, narrow inlet of the sea, ditch or stream”), from Middle Low German goel, gȫl, gȫle (“swamp, marshy lowland”), related to Old Dutch gulla (“pool, puddle”), Old French goille (“pool, puddle, pond”), all ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *goli, *golljā (“puddle”), perhaps from Proto-Germanic *guljaz, *guljǭ.

Alternative forms edit

Noun edit

gull (plural gulls)

  1. (dialectal) A breach or hole made by the force of a torrent; fissure, chasm.
  2. (dialectal) A channel made by a stream; a natural watercourse; running water.
Derived terms edit

Verb edit

gull (third-person singular simple present gulls, present participle gulling, simple past and past participle gulled)

  1. (dialectal) To sweep away by the force of running water; to carve or wear into a gully.

References edit

  1. ^ “gull”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.

Further reading edit

Faroese edit

Chemical element
Au
Previous: hvítagull, platin (Pt)
Next: kyksilvur, kviksilvur (Hg)

Etymology edit

From Old Norse gull, from Proto-Germanic *gulþą.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

gull n (genitive singular guls, uncountable)

  1. gold
  2. (in proverbs) richness, money, livestock
  3. gold medal, first place (sports, etc.)

Declension edit

n9s Singular
Indefinite Definite
Nominative gull gullið
Accusative gull gullið
Dative gulli gullinum
Genitive guls gulsins

Icelandic edit

 
Icelandic Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia is
Chemical element
Au
Previous: platína (Pt)
Next: kvikasilfur (Hg)

Etymology edit

From Old Norse gull (“gold”), from Proto-Germanic *gulþą.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

gull n (genitive singular gulls, nominative plural gull)

  1. (uncountable) gold (chemical element)
  2. (countable) a cherished thing
  3. (countable) a gold medal or prize

Declension edit

declension of gull
n-s singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative gull gullið gull gullin
accusative gull gullið gull gullin
dative gulli gullinu gullum gullunum
genitive gulls gullsins gulla gullanna

Derived terms edit

Norwegian Bokmål edit

 
Norwegian Bokmål Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nb

Etymology edit

From Danish guld (pre-1907 Riksmål spelling), from Old Norse gull, from Proto-Germanic *gulþą.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

gull n (definite singular gullet, uncountable)

  1. gold

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

References edit

Norwegian Nynorsk edit

 
Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nn

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

From Old Norse gull and goll, from Proto-Germanic *gulþą. Akin to English gold.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

gull n (definite singular gullet, uncountable)

  1. gold

Derived terms edit

References edit

Old Norse edit

FWOTD – 11 February 2014

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

From Proto-Germanic *gulþą (“gold”). Cognate with Old English gold, Old Frisian gold, Old Saxon gold, Old Dutch golt, Old High German gold, Gothic 𐌲𐌿𐌻𐌸 (gulþ). See also Finnish kulta. Ultimately from Pre-Germanic *ǵʰl̥tóm (“gold”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃- (“yellow; gleam; to shine”).

Pronunciation edit

  • (12th century Icelandic) IPA(key): /ˈɡulː/

Noun edit

gull n (genitive gulls, plural gull)

  1. (uncountable, singular only) gold
  2. (countable) a jewel, thing of value, especially a finger-ring
    • Stjórn 78, in 1862, C. R. Unger, Stjórn: gammelnorsk Bibelhistorie: fra Verdens Skabelse til det babyloniske Fangenskab. Christiania, page 254:
      Enn þegar sem hon bar þetta gull, […]
      But when she wore that ring, […]

Declension edit

  Declension of gull (strong a-stem)
neuter singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative gull gullit gull gullin
accusative gull gullit gull gullin
dative gulli gullinu gullum gullunum
genitive gulls gullsins gulla gullanna

Derived terms edit

Terms derived from gull

Descendants edit

  • Icelandic: gull n
  • Faroese: gull n
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: gull n
  • Old Swedish: gull n
  • Old Danish:
  • Gutnish: gull n

References edit

  • “gull”, in Geir T. Zoëga (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • gull in An Icelandic-English Dictionary, R. Cleasby and G. Vigfússon, Clarendon Press, 1874, at Internet Archive.
  • gull in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, G. T. Zoëga, Clarendon Press, 1910, at Internet Archive.

Swedish edit

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

From Old Norse gull, from Proto-Germanic *gulþą.

Noun edit

gull n

  1. (poetic, archaic) gold
    Har du silver har du gull, / har du kistorna full?
    Do you have silver and gold, / are your treasure chests full? (song lyrics)
    Wilt thw wara tik sielffuir hull, / tw älska friiheet meer än gull (Old Swedish, poem by bishop Tomas, 1439)
    Vill du vara dig själver huld, / du älska frihet mer än guld (translated to standard Swedish)
    If you want to help yourself, you should love freedom more than gold
  2. (colloquial) baby, darling, someone dear and cute (gullig), someone to cuddle (gulla med)
    mina små gull
    my little darlings
    Kom nu gullet, det är finfint väder ute
    Come on baby, it's a perfect sunny day

Usage notes edit

  • The form gull is archaic or poetic outside compound words and fixed expressions, where it has taken the sense of beloved or favorable as in gullgosse (“golden boy”), gullegris (“darling, pet”), gullunge (“beloved child”), etc.

Declension edit

Declension of gull 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative gull gullet gull gullen
Genitive gulls gullets gulls gullens
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