BULB
bulb
(noun) a rounded part of a cylindrical instrument (usually at one end); “the bulb of a syringe”
bulb
(noun) a rounded dilation or expansion in a canal or vessel or organ
bulb
(noun) a modified bud consisting of a thickened globular underground stem serving as a reproductive structure
bulb
(noun) anything with a round shape resembling a teardrop
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
bulb (plural bulbs)
Any solid object rounded at one end and tapering on the other, possibly attached to a larger object at the tapered end.
A light bulb.
The bulb-shaped root portion of a plant such as a tulip, from which the rest of the plant may be regrown.
(nautical) a bulbous protuberance at the forefoot of certain vessels to reduce turbulence.
(dated, neuroanatomy) The medulla oblongata.
Verb
bulb (third-person singular simple present bulbs, present participle bulbing, simple past and past participle bulbed)
(intransitive) To take the shape of a bulb; to swell.
Anagrams
• blub
Source: Wiktionary
Bulb, n. Etym: [L. bulbus, Gr. bulbe.]
1. (Bot.)
Definition: A spheroidal body growing from a plant either above or below
the ground (usually below), which is strictly a bud, consisting of a
cluster of partially developed leaves, and producing, as it grows, a
stem above, and roots below, as in the onion, tulip, etc. It differs
from a corm in not being solid.
2. (Anat.)
Definition: A name given to some parts that resemble in shape certain
bulbous roots; as, the bulb of the aorta. Bulb of the eye, the
eyeball.
– Bulb of a hair, the "root," or part whence the hair originates.
– Bulb of the spinal cord, the medulla oblongata, often called
simply bulb.
– Bulb of a tooth, the vascular and nervous papilla contained in
the cavity of the tooth.
3. An expansion or protuberance on a stem or tube, as the bulb of a
thermometer, which may be of any form, as spherical, cylindrical,
curved, etc. Tomlinson.
Bulb, v. i.
Definition: To take the shape of a bulb; to swell.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition