bullet

English Online Dictionary. What means bullet‎? What does bullet mean?

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English bullet (“an official tag or badge of registration or identification”), from Old French bullete, diminutive of boule (“ball”). Later influenced by Middle French boulette and French boulet.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbʊl.ɪt/
• Rhymes: -ʊlɪt

Noun

bullet (countable and uncountable, plural bullets)

1. A projectile, usually of metal, shot from a gun at high speed.

   Synonyms: (slang) cap, (slang) pill, (slang) slug

2. (informal) An entire round of unfired ammunition for a firearm, including the projectile, the cartridge casing, the propellant charge, etc.
3. Ammunition for a sling or slingshot which has been manufactured for such use.
4. (typography) A printed symbol in the form of a solid circle, “•”, often used to mark items in a list.

   Synonym: bullet point

5. (banking, finance) A large scheduled repayment of the principal of a loan; a balloon payment.
6. A rejection letter, as for employment, admission to a school or a competition.

7. (The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought:) (slang) One year of prison time.
8. (slang) An ace (the playing card).
9. (figuratively) Anything that is projected extremely fast.
10. (in attributive use) Very fast (speedy).

11. (chess, uncountable) Ellipsis of bullet chess.
12. (fishing) A plumb or sinker.
13. (Ireland, particularly in Northern Ireland) The heavy projectile thrown in a game of road bowling.
14. (Australia) A roughly bullet-shaped sweet consisting of a cylinder of liquorice covered in chocolate.
15. (obsolete) A small ball.
16. (obsolete) A cannonball.
17. (obsolete) The fetlock of a horse.
18. (Canada, US, horse racing) The best workout time at a track on a given day at a specific distance, traditionally marked by a printer's bullet.
19. A notation used on pop music charts to indicate that a song is climbing in the rankings.

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

bullet (third-person singular simple present bullets, present participle bulleting, simple past and past participle bulleted)

1. (transitive, informal) To draw attention to (text) by, or as if by, placing a graphic bullet in front of it.
2. (intransitive, informal) To speed, like a bullet.
3. (transitive, informal) To make a shot, especially with great speed.

4. (transitive, slang, rare) To inflict bullet shots upon.
5. (slang, transitive) To fire from a job; to dismiss.

References

• Weisenberg, Michael (2000) The Official Dictionary of Poker. MGI/Mike Caro University. →ISBN
• (fire, dismiss): John Camden Hotten (1873) The Slang Dictionary

Etymology 2

From bull +‎ -let.

Noun

bullet (plural bullets) (rare)

1. A young or little bull; a male calf.

Synonyms

• bullock (archaic)

Coordinate terms

• cowlet, cowling

Translations

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from English bullet, from Middle French [Term?].

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bulət/, [ˈb̥uləd̥]

Noun

bullet (plural indefinite bullets, no definite forms)

1. (typography) bullet (a printed symbol, e.g. •, used for marking items in a list) [from 1994]

Synonyms

• punkttegn

Latin

Verb

bullet

1. third-person singular present active subjunctive of bullō

Northern Sami

Pronunciation

• (Kautokeino) IPA^(key): /ˈpuːlleh(t)/

Verb

būllet

1. inflection of buollit:
   1. third-person plural present indicative
   2. second-person singular past indicative
   3. second-person plural imperative