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hull

 - 8 dictionary results

hull

1[huhl]
–noun
1. the husk, shell, or outer covering of a seed or fruit.
2. the calyx of certain fruits, as the strawberry.
3. any covering or envelope.
–verb (used with object)
4. to remove the hull of.
5. Midland U.S. to shell (peas or beans).

Origin:
bef. 1000; ME; OE hulu husk, pod; akin to OE helan to cover, hide, L cēlāre to hide, conceal, Gk kalýptein to cover up (see apocalypse ). See hall, hell, hole


huller, noun


1. skin, pod, peel, rind, shuck.

hull

2[huhl]
–noun
1. the hollow, lowermost portion of a ship, floating partially submerged and supporting the remainder of the ship.
2. Aeronautics.
a. the boatlike fuselage of a flying boat on which the plane lands or takes off.
b. the cigar-shaped arrangement of girders enclosing the gasbag of a rigid dirigible.
–verb (used with object)
3. to pierce (the hull of a ship), esp. below the water line.
–verb (used without object)
4. to drift without power or sails.
5. hull down, (of a ship) sufficiently far away, or below the horizon, that the hull is invisible.
6. hull up, (of a ship) sufficiently near, or above the horizon, that the hull is visible.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME; special use of hull 1


hull-less, adjective

Hull

[huhl]
–noun
1. Cor⋅dell [kawr-del, kawr-del] , 1871–1955, U.S. statesman: Secretary of State 1933–44; Nobel peace prize 1945.
2. Robert Marvin (Bobby), born 1939, Canadian ice-hockey player.
3. William, 1753–1825, U.S. general.
4. Official name, Kingston-upon-Hull. a seaport in Humberside, in E England, on the Humber River. 279,700.
5. a city in SE Canada, on the Ottawa River opposite Ottawa. 61,039.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To hull
hull   (hŭl)   
n.  
    1. The dry outer covering of a fruit, seed, or nut; a husk.

    2. The enlarged calyx of a fruit, such as a strawberry, that is usually green and easily detached.

    3. Nautical The frame or body of a ship, exclusive of masts, engines, or superstructure.

    4. The main body of various other large vehicles, such as a tank, airship, or flying boat.

    1. Nautical The frame or body of a ship, exclusive of masts, engines, or superstructure.

    2. The main body of various other large vehicles, such as a tank, airship, or flying boat.

  1. The outer casing of a rocket, guided missile, or spaceship.

tr.v.   hulled, hull·ing, hulls
To remove the hulls of (fruit or seeds).

[Middle English hulle, husk, from Old English hulu; see kel-1 in Indo-European roots.]
hull'er n.
Hull   (hŭl)   
  1. A city of southwest Quebec, Canada, opposite Ottawa, Ontario. It has a hydroelectric station and pulp, paper, and lumber mills. Population: 74,200.

  2. also King·ston-up·on-Hull (kĭng'stən-ə-pŏn-hŭl', -pôn-) A borough of northeast-central England on the northern shore of the Humber estuary at the influx of the Hull River. Chartered in 1299, the city has been a major seaport since the late 1700s. Population: 301,000.

Hull, Cordell 1871-1955.  
American public official who as secretary of state (1933-1944) laid the groundwork for the founding of the United Nations. He was awarded the 1945 Nobel Peace Prize.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

hull  (1)
"seed covering," from O.E. hulu, from P.Gmc. *khulus "to cover" (cf. O.H.G. hulla, hulsa). The verb was in M.E.; hulled can mean both "having a particular kind of hull" and "stripped of the hull."

hull  (2)
"body of a ship," 1571, perhaps from hull (1) on fancied resemblance of ship keels to open peapods (cf. L. carina "keel of a ship," originally "shell of a nut;" Gk. phaselus "light passenger ship, yacht," lit. "bean pod;" Fr. coque "hull of a ship, shell of a walnut or egg"). Alternate etymology is from M.E. hoole "ship's keel" (c.1440), from the same source as hold (n.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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