Bulb , v. i. To take the shape of a bulb; to swell.
Bulb (bŭlb), n. [L. bulbus, Gr.
bolbo`s: cf. F.
bulbe.]
1. (Bot.)
A spheroidal body growing from a plant either above or below the
ground (usually below), which is strictly a bud, consisting of a cluster of
partially developed leaves, and producing, as it grows, a stem above, and roots below, as in the onion, tulip, etc. It differs from a
corm in not being solid.
2. (Anat.)
A name given to some
parts that resemble in shape certain bulbous roots; as, the bulb of the
aorta.
Bulb of the eye,
the eyeball. --
Bulb of a
hair, the "root," or part
whence the hair originates. -- Bulb
of the spinal cord, the medulla oblongata, often called
simply bulb. --
Bulb of a
tooth, the vascular and nervous papilla contained in the cavity
of the tooth.
3. An expansion or protuberance on a stem or tube, as the bulb of a thermometer, which may be
of any form,
as spherical, cylindrical,
curved, etc. Tomlinson.
Hear it pronounced