bulb

noun

A light bulb (not necessarily bulbous in shape).

The bulb-shaped underground portion of a plant such as a tulip, consisting of a shortened stem and many fleshy scale leaves, from which the rest of the plant may be regrown.

Any solid object rounded at one end and tapering on the other, possibly attached to a larger object at the tapered end.

(nautical) A bulbous protuberance at the forefoot of certain vessels to reduce turbulence.

(dated, neuroanatomy) The medulla oblongata.

(obsolete) An onion.

verb

(intransitive) To take the shape of a bulb; to swell.

Roots

bolbosbulb- · Greek · onion, bulb

Synonyms for bulb

bulbiln cormn tubern

Synonyms & related words for bulb

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of bulb — including bulbil, corm, tuber. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to bulb

Explore words related to bulb — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include bulbiferous, lamp, electrolier, incandescent, candent, headlamp, geophyte, lighting. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for bulb

Common synonyms for bulb include bulbil, corm, tuber — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does bulb come from?

The word bulb breaks down into one root of Greek origin: the root bulb-, from Greek bolbos (“onion, bulb”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.