Hull Definition

hŭl
hulled, hulls
noun
The outer covering of a seed or fruit, as the husk of grain, pod of a pea, shell of a nut, etc.
Webster's New World
The calyx of some fruits, as the raspberry.
Webster's New World
Any outer covering.
Webster's New World
The frame or body of a ship, excluding the masts, rigging, superstructure, etc.
Webster's New World
The watertight frame or main body of a flying boat, amphibious plane or vehicle, hydrofoil, etc., on which it floats when in the water.
Webster's New World
verb
To take the hull or hulls off (a seed or fruit)
Webster's New World
To pierce the hull of (a ship) with a shell, torpedo, etc.
Webster's New World

To remove the outer covering of a fruit or seed.

She sat on the back porch hulling peanuts.
Wiktionary
Synonyms:
pronoun

Any of various cities in the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States (see the Wikipedia article).

Wiktionary
idiom
hull down
  • far enough away so that the hull is below the horizon and only the masts, stacks, etc. are visible
Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Hull

Noun

Singular:
hull
Plural:
hulls

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Hull

Origin of Hull

  • Middle English hul (“seed covering”), from Old English hulu (“seed covering”), from Proto-Germanic *hulus (compare German Hülle, Hülse (“cover, veil”)), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *kal- (“hard”) (compare Old Irish calad, calath (“hard”), Latin callus, callum (“rough skin”), Old Church Slavonic калити (kaliti, “to cool, harden”)). For the sense development, compare French coque (“nutshell; ship's hull”), Ancient Greek φάσηλος (phasēlos, “bean pod; yacht”).

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English hol husk from Old English hulu kel-1 in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Origin uncertain; perhaps the same word as Etymology 1, above.

    From Wiktionary

Find Similar Words

Find similar words to hull using the buttons below.

Words Starting With

Words Ending With

Unscrambles

hull