bula

See also: Appendix:Variations of "bula"

Languages (26)

Albanian • Antigua and Barbuda Creole English • Brunei Malay • Cebuano • Chamorro • Chavacano • Fijian • Galician • Hungarian • Iban • Ladino • Norwegian Nynorsk • Nyunga • Old English • Papiamentu • Polish • Portuguese • Romansh • Serbo-Croatian • Sotho • Spanish • Swedish • Tagalog • Ternate • Xhosa • Yogad

---

Page categories

Albanian

Noun

bula

1. inflection of bulë:
   1. definite nominative singular
   2. indefinite nominative/accusative plural

Antigua and Barbuda Creole English

Etymology

From bul (“sex”) +‎ -a (“-er”).

Noun

bula (plural bula dem, quantified bula)

1. homosexual male

Brunei Malay

Etymology

Compare Malay bola.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bula/
• Hyphenation: bu‧la

Noun

bula

1. ball (spherical object for playing games)
2. (colloquial) football (UK), soccer (US)

Derived terms

• bula sipak (“football”)

Cebuano

Alternative forms

• buwa

Etymology

From Proto-Austronesian *bujeq (via Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bujeq).

Noun

bulà (Badlit spelling ᜊᜓᜎ)

1. bubble
2. froth; foam
3. lather
4. coconut apple; coconut embryo

Verb

bulâ (Badlit spelling ᜊᜓᜎ)

1. to bubble
2. to lather; to cover with suds; to lather up
3. to form or emit foam
4. to spew saliva as foam, to foam at the mouth
5. to create froth in (a liquid)

Adjective

bulâ (Badlit spelling ᜊᜓᜎ)

1. bubbly

Chamorro

Adjective

bula

1. plenty; a lot

Chavacano

Etymology

Borrowed from Tagalog bula.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /buˈlaʔ/, [buˈlaʔ]
• Hyphenation: bu‧la

Noun

bulâ

1. (Cotabateño, Ternateño, Zamboangueño) bubble

   Synonym: (Caviteño) espuma

Fijian

Fijian phrasebook

This entry is part of the phrasebook project, which presents criteria for inclusion based on utility, simplicity and commonness. For other Fijian entries on this topic, see Greetings.

Etymology

From Proto-Central Pacific *wola, from Proto-Oceanic *wola, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *woda, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *wada, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wada (“to exist”).

Sense of “to save money” is a calque of English save.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ᵐbu.la/

Interjection

bula!

1. hello!, hi! (greeting)

   Synonyms: bula vinaka, (Western Fiji) cola vina, (Cakau) bula vina'a, (Nasavusavu, Wailevu, Bua) bula re, (Macuata) bula sia, (Lau) sa malo

2. cheers! (toast when drinking)

Verb

bula (intransitive, transitive)

1. to live, to be alive

   Au bula tiko e Nasese.

   I live in Nasese.

2. to exist, to be in existence

   E bula tiko na kalou.

   God exists.

3. (by extension, money) to save (to accumulate money)

   E rawa ni bula e $3.9 milioni.

   It is possible to save $3.9 million [i.e. by reducing the size of the civil service].

Noun

bula

1. life

   E kauta mai na marau na bula.

   Life brings happiness.

2. (biology) living thing, organism

   Synonym: veika bula

   Na veika bula kece e tiko na kedra bibi.

   All living things have their importance.

Adjective

bula

1. live, living, alive

   Antonym: mate

   E bula tiko na nomu ika?

   Is your fish still alive?

2. erect, aroused (of the penis)

   Sa bula na baci ni tagane.

   The man's [circumcised] penis is erect.

   Synonym: droi

   Antonym: mate

3. (by extension, money) cash

   ilavo bula

   cash money

Derived terms

• bula i yavei, bula yavoki (“drifter, vagabond”)
• bula vakawati (“married life”)
• bulabula (“healthy, fresh, fertile/productive (of land)”)
• ibulabula ni qele (“chemical fertiliser”)
• ika bula (“live fish/turtle”)
• ilavo bula (“cash money”)
• mate bula (“in a coma, worthless person”)
• qele bulabula (“fertile land”)
• tamata bula (“adult”)
• vakabula (“to say hello, to save, to revive”)
• vakabula ika levu (“missed opportunity, "the big one got away"”, literally “saved the big fish”)
• veika bula (“living organisms”)
• yau bula (“money”)

Related terms

• bola (“babe, attractive woman”) (slang, possibly derived from a corruption of “bula”)

References

• Gatty, Ronald (2009), “bula”, in Fijian–English Dictionary‎^[1], Suva, Fiji: Ronald Gatty, →ISBN, pages 30–1

Galician

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbulɐ]

Etymology 1

Probably from a Celtic substrate language, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷew- (“excrement; dung”) or Proto-Indo-European *gʷṓws (“cow”); compare bosta, bouta, busto.

Noun

bula f (plural bulas)

1. (uncountable) dung, manure (of cattle)

   Synonym: bosta

2. platter, an individual cow dung

   Synonym: bosta

Derived terms

• buleira

Etymology 2

Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin bulla (“seal, sealed document; bull”), from Latin bulla (“bubble, rounded object”). Doublet of bóla and bola.

Alternative forms

• bulda, buldra

Noun

bula f (plural bulas)

1. bull (document)

Etymology 3

Verb

bula

1. inflection of bulir:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

References

• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “bulla”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “bula”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “bula”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “bula”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “bula”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Hungarian

Etymology

Of uncertain origin. Possibly related to the archaic bulya (“Turkish woman; concubine”), from Serbo-Croatian бу̏ла / bȕla (“a Muslim woman in harem pants or covered with a headscarf; a married woman”), from Ottoman Turkish بولا (bola, bula, “wife of one’s paternal uncle; lady, miss”). Alternatively, borrowed from Romani bulǎ, plural of bul (“ass, buttocks”) (compare Romanian bul (“ass, buttocks”) (slang)), from Sanskrit बुलि (buli, “vagina, anus”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbulɒ]
• Hyphenation: bu‧la
• Rhymes: -lɒ

Noun

bula (plural bulák)

1. (slang, somewhat vulgar) (woman's) ass, buttocks or vulva
2. (slang, somewhat vulgar) woman, girl

Declension

Inflection (stem in long/high vowel, back harmony)

	singular	plural
nominative	bula	bulák
accusative	bulát	bulákat
dative	bulának	buláknak
instrumental	bulával	bulákkal
causal-final	buláért	bulákért
translative	bulává	bulákká
terminative	buláig	bulákig
essive-formal	bulaként	bulákként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	bulában	bulákban
superessive	bulán	bulákon
adessive	bulánál	buláknál
illative	bulába	bulákba
sublative	bulára	bulákra
allative	bulához	bulákhoz
elative	bulából	bulákból
delative	buláról	bulákról
ablative	bulától	buláktól
non-attributive possessive – singular	buláé	buláké
non-attributive possessive – plural	buláéi	bulákéi

Possessive forms of bula

possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	bulám	buláim
2nd person sing.	bulád	buláid
3rd person sing.	bulája	bulái
1st person plural	bulánk	buláink
2nd person plural	bulátok	buláitok
3rd person plural	bulájuk	buláik

Further reading

• bula in Nóra Ittzés, editor, A magyar nyelv nagyszótára [A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (Nszt.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published a–ez as of 2026).

Iban

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bulaʔ/

Verb

bula

1. to lie

Derived terms

• pemula

Ladino

Noun

bula f

1. lady, madam

Synonyms

• bulisa

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

• bule

Etymology

From bule (“bulge”), from Middle Low German būle, from Proto-Germanic *būlō (“boil”). Doublet of bolna.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bʉːla/

Verb

bula (present tense bular, past tense bula, past participle bula, passive infinitive bulast, present participle bulande, imperative bula/bul)

1. to bulge, to swell

Derived terms

• bula ut

Nyunga

Adjective

bula

1. abundant, plentiful
2. many

References

• 1853, Rosendo Salvado, The Salvado Memoirs (1977 edition edited by E. J. Storman)

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *bulô (“bull”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰl̥no-, from *bʰel- (“to blow, swell up”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbu.lɑ/
• Rhymes: -u.lɑ

Noun

bula m

1. bull

Declension

Weak:

	singular	plural
nominative	bula	bulan
accusative	bulan	bulan
genitive	bulan	bulena
dative	bulan	bulum

Related terms

• bulluc

Descendants

• Middle English: bole, bule, bul, bolle, boule, bool, boole
  • English: bull
  • Scots: bul, bull

Papiamentu

Etymology

From Spanish volar and Portuguese voar, Portuguese pular and Kabuverdianu bua.

Verb

bula

1. to fly
2. to jump

Polish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *bew-der.?

Latin *bʰel-der.?

Latin bullader.?

Frankish *bollāder.?

Old French bole

Middle French boule

French boulebor.

Polish bula

Borrowed from French boule. First attested in 1613.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbu.la/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ula
• Syllabification: bu‧la

Noun

bula f

1. boule (one of the bowls used in the French game of boules)
2. protuberance (bulge of some surface)

   Synonyms: wybrzuszenie, wypukłość

Declension

Declension of bula

	singular	plural
nominative	bula	bule
genitive	buli	bul
dative	buli	bulom
accusative	bulę	bule
instrumental	bulą	bulami
locative	buli	bulach
vocative	bulo	bule

Further reading

• “bula”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[2] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “bula”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[3] (in Polish)
• Samuel Bogumił Linde (1807–1814), “bula”, in Słownik języka polskiego
• Aleksander Zdanowicz (1861), “bula”, in Słownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861
• J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1900), “bula”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), volume 1, Warsaw, page 232

Portuguese

bula

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Medieval Latin bulla (“seal, sealed document; bull”), from Latin bulla (“bubble, rounded object”). Doublet of bola and bolha.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbu.lɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbu.lɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbu.la/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈbu.lɐ/

• Hyphenation: bu‧la

Noun

bula f (plural bulas)

1. bull (document)
2. (pharmacy) medication package insert (document that provides information about a drug and its use)

   Synonym: leitura

Etymology 2

Verb

bula

1. inflection of bulir:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative
2. inflection of bolir:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “bula”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “bula”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Romansh

Alternative forms

• bella (Sursilvan)
• pula (Surmiran)

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

bula f (plural bulas)

1. (Sursilvan, Sutsilvan) butterfly, moth

Synonyms

• (Rumantsch Grischun, Puter, Vallader) spler
• (Rumantsch Grischun) tgiralla
• (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Surmiran) tschitta
• (Puter) chüralla
• (Vallader) splerin

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish بولا (bola, bula, “wife of one’s paternal uncle; lady, miss”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bûla/
• Hyphenation: bu‧la

Noun

bȕla f (Cyrillic spelling бу̏ла)

1. (colloquial) a Muslim woman in harem pants or covered with a headscarf
2. (colloquial) a married woman

Declension

Declension of bula

	singular	plural
nominative	bȕla	bule
genitive	bule	bȗlā
dative	buli	bulama
accusative	bulu	bule
vocative	bulo	bule
locative	buli	bulama
instrumental	bulom	bulama

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Latin bulla (“bubble”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bǔla/
• Hyphenation: bu‧la

Noun

bùla f (Cyrillic spelling бу̀ла)

1. (medicine) bull (blister, vesicle, or other thin-walled cavity or lesion)
2. (anatomy) an empty space

Declension

Declension of bula

	singular	plural
nominative	bùla	bule
genitive	bule	búlā
dative	buli	bulama
accusative	bulu	bule
vocative	bulo	bule
locative	buli	bulama
instrumental	bulom	bulama

Etymology 3

From bȕla (the first etymology).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bǔːla/
• Hyphenation: bu‧la

Noun

búla f (Cyrillic spelling бу́ла)

1. (Islam) Islamic religion teacher
2. (Islam) Islamic clerk or official

Declension

Declension of bula

	singular	plural
nominative	bula	bule
genitive	bule	bula
dative	buli	bulama
accusative	bulu	bule
vocative	bulo	bule
locative	buli	bulama
instrumental	bulom	bulama

Etymology 4

Borrowed from Medieval Latin bulla.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bûla/
• Hyphenation: bu‧la

Noun

bȕla f (Cyrillic spelling бу̏ла)

1. bull (seal affixed to a document)
2. (by metonymy) charter with such bull
3. a box in which a seal is stored

Declension

Declension of bula

	singular	plural
nominative	bȕla	bule
genitive	bule	bȗlā
dative	buli	bulama
accusative	bulu	bule
vocative	bulo	bule
locative	buli	bulama
instrumental	bulom	bulama

References

• “bula”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2026
• “bula”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2026
• “bula”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2026
• “bula”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2026

Sotho

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-dùguda.

Verb

bula

1. to open

   Antonym: kwala

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin bulla (“seal, sealed document; bull”), from Latin bulla (“bubble, rounded object”). Doublet of bola and bolla.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbula/ [ˈbu.la]
• Rhymes: -ula
• Syllabification: bu‧la

Noun

bula f (plural bulas)

1. bull (document)
2. strength
3. (obsolete) bubble

   Synonym: burbuja

Derived terms

• bula de la cruzada
• bula de la santa cruzada
• bula papal
• bula pontificia

Further reading

• “bula”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Swedish

Etymology

Likely from Middle Low German būle, from Proto-Germanic *būlō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to blow, inflate, swell up”).

Doublet of ballong, boll, bolster, bulle, bälg, and bölja, and probably böld. Compare Norwegian Nynorsk bule and bole, Dutch buil, German Beule, English boil.

Noun

bula c

1. a bulge, a bump (small, round, hard, tender swelling, especially one caused by a strike or blow)

   Jag slog i huvudet i skåpdörren och fick en bula

   I hit my head on the cabinet door and got a bump

2. a bulge (smooth outward bend more generally, due to internal pressure or the like)

   Folk gav honom komplimanger för hans stora bula

   People complimented him on his big bulge

Declension

Declension of bula

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	bula	bulas
	definite	bulan	bulans
plural	indefinite	bulor	bulors
	definite	bulorna	bulornas

Related terms

• bulen
• bulna

See also

• bukta

References

• “bula”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• “bula”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “bula”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• bula in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)

Tagalog

Etymology 1

Derivation unknown. Possibly either from the following:

• From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *budaq
• From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bujəq, from Proto-Austronesian *bujəq,
• Borrowed from Spanish bula (“bubble”). The word burbuja has since displaced bula (“bubble”) in Spanish, then the old meaning could have remained in Tagalog if borrowed.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /buˈlaʔ/ [bʊˈlaʔ]
• Rhymes: -aʔ
• Syllabification: bu‧la
• Homophone: Bula

Noun

bulâ (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜓᜎ)

1. foam; bubble; suds

   Synonyms: espuma, ampolya, (obsolete) subo

2. foaming saliva caused by disease or great excitement

Derived terms

• bulantubig
• bulang-gugo
• bulang-sagwan
• bumula
• bumula ang bibig
• ibula
• mabula
• magbula
• magsabula
• may-sabula
• pabulain
• pampabula
• parang bula
• sabula

Etymology 2

Unknown. Possibly from Malay bolak (“prevarication”). Alternatively, possibly from Hokkien 誣賴 / 诬赖 (bû-lōa, “to falsely incriminate”), according to Manuel (1948). Compare Iban bula, Central Bikol buwa and Masbatenyo buwa. See also Brunei Malay bula-bula (“inconsistent; unbelievable; nonsensical”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈbulaʔ/ [ˈbuː.lɐʔ]
• Rhymes: -ulaʔ
• Syllabification: bu‧la

Noun

bulà (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜓᜎ)

1. lie; falsehood; fib

   Synonyms: kabulaanan, kasinungalingan

Derived terms

• bula-bulaan
• bulaan
• di-mapabubulaanan
• di-nagkabula
• kabulaanan
• magbulaan
• magkabula
• magpabulaan
• mambula
• pabulaan
• pabulaanan
• pagbubulaan
• pagbulaanan

See also

• buhong

Etymology 3

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bulah, from Proto-Austronesian *buləS (“Shorea albus”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /buˈla/ [bʊˈla]
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: bu‧la

Noun

bulá (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜓᜎ)

1. Philippine mahogany (Toona calantas)

   Synonym: kalantas

Etymology 4

Borrowed from Spanish bula (“bull”), from Medieval Latin bulla (“seal, sealed document; bull”), from Latin bulla (“bubble, rounded object”). Doublet of bola.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈbula/ [ˈbuː.lɐ]
• Rhymes: -ula
• Syllabification: bu‧la

Noun

bula (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜓᜎ)

1. bull (document)

Derived terms

• bula ng Papa

Etymology 5

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈbulaʔ/ [ˈbuː.lɐʔ]
• Rhymes: -ulaʔ
• Syllabification: bu‧la

Noun

bulà (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜓᜎ) (obsolete)

1. scaring of crows

Derived terms

• bulain
• magbula
• mamula

See also

• bugaw
• bulaga
• so

Interjection

bulà (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜓᜎ) (obsolete)

1. word used for scaring crows away: shoo

Further reading

• “bula”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, 2018
• San Buena Ventura, Fr. Pedro de (1613), Vocabulario de lengua tagala. El romance castellano puesto primero. Primera, y segunda parte.‎^[4] (overall work in Early Modern Spanish and Classical Tagalog), as directed by Gov. Gen. Juan de Silva, Pila, Laguna: La noble Villa de Pila, por Tomás Pinpin y Domingo Loag.
  • page 304: “Eſpantar) Bula [(pp)] cueruos repitiendo eſta palabra”
  • page 308: “Eſpuma) Bula (pc) T. dela olla o de otra coſa”
• Manuel, E. Arsenio (1948), Chinese elements in the Tagalog language: with some indication of Chinese influence on other Philippine languages and cultures and an excursion into Austronesian linguistics, Manila: Filipiniana Publications, page 18

Anagrams

• baul

Ternate

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbu.la]

Noun

bula

1. a part, piece, component

References

• Rika Hayami-Allen (2001), A descriptive study of the language of Ternate, the northern Moluccas, Indonesia, University of Pittsburgh

Xhosa

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Verb

-bula^?

1. (transitive) to confess

   Synonym: -xela

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Yogad

Noun

bulá

1. boar