bull
part of speech
noun (bull, bulls)
meaning for a pupil
1) A bull is an adult male cow. tree →
2) A bull can also be the male of some other big animals, such as elephants, whales and seals. tree →
3) The bull's-eye is the centre of a target. tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: A bull is a full-grown male of the herd. In the Torah it is one of the animals that may be brought as an offering at the altar. In the psalms strong "bulls of Bashan" are a picture of fierce enemies, and God says He does not need to eat the flesh of bulls. Interpretation: The tradition counts the bull among the clean animals that may be offered. Its large size meant that bringing one was a costly gift. The rabbis read God's words in Psalm 50 to mean that offerings are for the good of the giver, since God needs nothing. In the primary lessons: On the farm a bull is the male, a cow is the female and a calf is the baby. In countryside safety lessons: never enter a field with a bull — bulls can charge and are very dangerous. In games and sport the bull's-eye scores most. Phrases: bull's-eye, like a bull in a china shop (clumsy), take the bull by the horns (face a problem bravely).
examples
- thirty milch camels and their colts, forty kine and ten bulls, twenty she-asses and ten foals. (Torah GEN.32.15, JPS 1917) tree →
- and he said unto Aaron: 'Take thee a bull-calf for a sin-offering, and a ram for a burnt-offering, without blemish, and offer them before the LORD. (Torah LEV.9.2, JPS 1917) tree →
- Many bulls have encompassed me; strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. (Writings PSA.22.13, JPS 1917) tree →
- Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? (Writings PSA.50.13, JPS 1917) tree →
- Their bull gendereth, and faileth not; their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf. (Writings JOB.21.10, JPS 1917) tree →
- The bull stood alone in the field. tree →
- A sign said «Beware of the bull». tree →
- The farmer keeps one bull and many cows. tree →
- A bull elephant can be very large. tree →
- The arrow hit the bull's-eye. tree →
- He ran like a bull in a china shop. tree →
- Take the bull by the horns and ask her. tree →
note
Countable noun (bulls). Male cow = bull, female = cow, baby = calf, all together = cattle. Myth: bulls do not get angry at the colour red — they are colour-blind to red; they react to the movement of the cape. Safety: keep out of fields with bulls.
In the corpora
- (32-16) thirty milch camels and their colts, forty kine and ten bulls, twenty she-asses and ten foals.
- Many bulls have encompassed me; strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
- Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?
- Their bull gendereth, and faileth not; their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf.
- Bulls cannot see red well; a bull charges at the movement of the cape, and red is just the traditional colour.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «bull» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.