Meanings
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1
noun
a simple brass instrument, usually without valves, used especially for military signals
The bugle sounded a retreat across the battlefield.
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2
verb
to play a bugle or give a signal on one
The soldier bugled the morning call before sunrise.
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3
noun
a long tubular bead sewn onto clothing as decoration
Black bugles glittered along the edge of the evening dress.
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4
noun
a low-growing plant of the genus Ajuga, often grown as ground cover
Blue bugle spread between the stones in the garden.
Thesaurus
Etymology
The instrument name comes through Old French bugle, 'wild ox,' from Latin buculus, because early signal horns were made from horn. The plant name is a separate Middle English borrowing, probably from Medieval Latin bugula.