bulb

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   The glass part of an electric lamp that gives out light

   The bulb in the hallway has burned out and needs replacing.

2. 2
   noun

   The round underground part of some plants, from which the plant grows

   We planted tulip bulbs in the garden last autumn.

3. 3
   noun

   The rounded part at the end of a tube or instrument

   You squeeze the rubber bulb of the syringe to push the liquid out.

Common collocations

• olfactory bulb Adjective + noun

Etymology tree Ancient Greek βολβός (bolbós)bor. Latin bulbusder. English bulb Inherited from Middle English bulb, bolbe, from Latin bulbus (“bulb, onion”), from Ancient Greek βολβός (bolbós, “plant with round swelling on underground stem”).

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images