English Explanatory Dictionary

bullace

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A small European plum (Prunus interstitia, syn. Prunus domestica subsp. insititia).
  2. The bully tree.

Word forms

bullace bullaces

Etymology

From Middle English bolas, bolace, from Anglo-Norman and Old French beloce, buloce (“sloe”), from Vulgar Latin *bullucea, from Late Latin bulluca (“kind of small fruit”); of Celtic/Gaulish origin, akin to Celtiberian *bullācā, from Proto-Celtic *bullākā, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeHw- (“to swell, puff”), itself imitative. Possibly influenced by Latin galla (“oak apple”) with metathesis of the consonants. See also Spanish bugalla (“oak apple”), Portuguese bugalho, and (the distantly related) Latin bucca.

Synonyms

damson
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