bullfinch

1
[ bool-finch ]

noun
  1. a European finch, Pyrrhula pyrrhula, often kept as a pet, the male of which has a black, white, and bluish-gray back and a rosy breast.

  2. any of several related or similar birds.

Origin of bullfinch

1
1560–70; bull1 (perhaps in sense “bull-necked”) + finch

Words Nearby bullfinch

Other definitions for bullfinch (2 of 2)

bullfinch2
[ bool-finch ]

noun
  1. a hedge high enough to impede mounted hunters.

Origin of bullfinch

2
First recorded in 1825–35; of uncertain origin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bullfinch in a sentence

  • Little Blue—bullfinch's tail feather for wings, dark blue silk for body, dark blue hackle for legs, tail do.

    The Teesdale Angler | R Lakeland
  • See my colours how bright they are, so that you would hardly know me from a bullfinch.

    Wood Magic | Richard Jefferies
  • There was nothing that Rachel was anxious to carry away with her but a little bullfinch, of which she was very fond.

  • The bold and handsome bullfinch builds in the low hawthorn hedge which bounds it upon one side.

    The Hills and the Vale | Richard Jefferies
  • Now, bullfinch was that broker with whom the Colonel had his dealings.

    The Barrier | Allen French

British Dictionary definitions for bullfinch (1 of 2)

bullfinch1

/ (ˈbʊlˌfɪntʃ) /


noun
  1. a common European finch, Pyrrhula pyrrhula : the male has a bright red throat and breast, black crown, wings, and tail, and a grey-and-white back

  2. any of various similar finches

Origin of bullfinch

1
C14: see bull 1, finch; probably so called from its stocky shape and thick neck

British Dictionary definitions for bullfinch (2 of 2)

bullfinch2

/ (ˈbʊlˌfɪntʃ) /


noun
  1. British a high thick hedge too difficult for a horse and rider to jump

Origin of bullfinch

2
C19: perhaps changed from the phrase bull fence

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012