# gull
## English
### Pronunciation

* enPR: gŭl, IPA: /ˈɡʌl/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -ʌl

### Etymology 1

Inherited from Middle English gulle, from a Brythonic language (compare Breton gouelan, Welsh gwylan, and Cornish golan), from Proto-Brythonic *gwuɨlann, from Proto-Celtic *wēlannā (“seagull”).
Cognate with Old Irish faílenn, Scottish Gaelic faoileag. Compare French goéland, a borrowing from Breton. Eclipsed Middle English lare (borrowed from Latin larus) and Middle English mewe (from Old English mæw).

#### Noun

gull (plural gulls)
* A seabird of the genus Larus or of the family Laridae.
    Synonyms: mew, seabird, seagull, seamew
** 1947 January–February, O. S. Nock, “‘The Aberdonian’ in Wartime”, in The Railway Magazine‎, volume 93, number 567, page 8:The tide was out, and we drew up amid the strong bracing smell of seaweed, with gulls screeching, wheeling around, and gliding on the wind.
** 1970, Richard Bach, “Part One”, in Jonathan Livingston Seagull: A Story, Macmillan; republished as complete edition, Scribner, 2014 October 21, →ISBN, page 4:Most gulls don’t bother to learn more than the simplest facts of flight—how to get from shore to food and back again. […] For this gull, though, it was not eating that mattered, but flight.
* Any of various pierid butterflies of the genus Cepora.

##### Derived terms

* as the gull flies
* Audouin's gull (Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus)
* black-backed gull
* black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
* Bonaparte's gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)
* Caspian gull (Larus cachinnans)
* common gull (Larus canus)
* Dominican gull (Larus dominicanus)
* European herring gull
* flood gull (Rynchops nigra)
* Franklin's gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan)
* glaucous gull (Larus hyperboreus)
* great black-backed gull (Larus marinus)
* greater black-backed gull
* gull-billed tern (Gelochelidon nilotica)
* gull chaser (Stercorarius pomarius)
* gullfeed (Scaevola plumieri)
* gull-wing
* Heermann's gull
* herring gull (Larus spp.)
* Iceland gull (Larus glaucoides)
* ivory gull (Pagophila eburnea)
* kelp gull (Larus dominicanus)
* land gull (Larus marinus)
* laughing gull (Xema ridibundus, Leucophaeus atricilla)
* lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus)
* little gull (Larus minutus)
* Mediterranean gull (Ichthyaetus melanocephalus)
* mew gull (Larus canus)
* Pacific gull (Larus pacificus)
* Pallas's gull (Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus)
* red-billed gull (Chroicocephalus scopulinus)
* ring-billed gull (Larus delawarensis)
* robber gull (skua)
* Ross's gull (Rhodostethia rosea)
* Sabine's gull (Xema sabini)
* sea-gull
* seagull (Laridae spp.)
* shark-gull
* silver gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae)
* slaty-backed gull (Larus schistisagus)
* slender-billed gull (Chroicocephalus genei)
* white-eyed gull (Ichthyaetus leucophthalmus)
* yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis)

##### Translations
### Etymology 2

Perhaps from an obsolete term gull (“to swallow, guzzle”), from Middle English golen (“to make swallowing motions, gape”).

#### Noun

gull (plural gulls)
* (slang) A cheating trick; a fraud.
** 1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii]:BENEDICK. [Aside] I should think this a gull, but that the white-bearded fellow speaks it: knavery cannot, sure, hide itself in such reverence.
* A stupid animal.
* One easily cheated; a dupe.
* (obsolete, Oxford University slang) A swindler or trickster.
** 1825, Bernard Blackmantle, The English Spy:You'll excuse me, sir, but as you are fresh, take care to avoid the gulls; they fly about here in large flocks, I assure you, and do no little mischief at times." "I never understood that gulls were birds of prey," said I.—"Only in Oxford, sir; and here, I assure you, they bite like hawks, and pick many a poor young gentleman as bare before his three years are expired, as the crows would a dead sheep upon a common. […] "

##### Synonyms

* (dupe): See also Thesaurus:dupe
* (swindler): See also Thesaurus:fraudster

#### Verb

gull (third-person singular simple present gulls, present participle gulling, simple past and past participle gulled)
* To deceive or cheat.
** 1610 (first performance), Ben[jamin] Jonson, The Alchemist, London: […] Thomas Snodham, for Walter Burre, and are to be sold by Iohn Stepneth, […], published 1612, →OCLC, (please specify the Internet Archive page), (please specify the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):O, but to ha' gulled him / Had been a mastery.
** 1660, [John] Dryden, Astraea Redux:The vulgar, gulled into rebellion, armed.
** 1697 May 5 (date written; Gregorian calendar), E. W. [i.e., Edward Stillingfleet], “Postscript”, in The Bishop of Worcester’s Answer to Mr. [John] Locke’s Letter, Concerning Some Passages Relating to His Essay of Humane Understanding, […], London: […] J. H. for Henry Mortlock […], published 1697, →OCLC, page 143:And is all this Cabala too, and only to be uſed vvhen People are to be gulled vvith noiſy Nothings? i.e. vvith empty Pleroma's, and ſilent Thunderclaps.
** c. 1798, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Wallenstein:I'm not gulling him for the emperor's service.
** a. 1822 (date written), John Keats, “Otho the Great: A Tragedy in Five Acts.”, in [Horace Elisha Scudder], editor, The Complete Poetical Works and Letters of John Keats, Cambridge edition, Boston, Mass., New York, N.Y.: Houghton, Mifflin and Company […], published 1899, →OCLC, Act IV, scene i:[S]peak your curses out / Against me, who would sooner crush and grind / A brace of toads, than league with them to oppress / An innocent lady, gull an Emperor […]
** 1986, John le Carré, A Perfect Spy:She has done these things before and remembers now that she is good at them, often steadier than the men. In Berlin when Jack needed a spare girl Mary had kept watch, gulled room keys out of concierges, replaced stolen documents in dangerous desks, driven scared Joes to safe flats.
* (US, slang) To mislead.
* (US, slang) To trick and defraud.
* (dialectal) To flatter, wheedle.

##### Synonyms

* (to deceive): See also Thesaurus:deceive

##### Derived terms

* gullcatcher
* gullery
* gullible → gullibility, gullibly

##### Translations
### Etymology 3

From Middle English gole (“a whirlpool, narrow inlet of the sea, ditch or stream”), from Middle Low German goel, gȫl, gȫle (“swamp, marshy lowland”), related to Old Dutch gulla (“pool, puddle”), Old French goille (“pool, puddle, pond”), all ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *goli, *golljā (“puddle”), perhaps from Proto-Germanic *guljaz, *guljǭ.

#### Alternative forms

* gool (dialectal)

#### Noun

gull (plural gulls)
* (dialectal) A breach or hole made by the force of a torrent; fissure, chasm.
* (dialectal) A channel made by a stream; a natural watercourse; running water.

##### Derived terms

* gullick

#### Verb

gull (third-person singular simple present gulls, present participle gulling, simple past and past participle gulled)
* (dialectal) To sweep away by the force of running water; to carve or wear into a gully.

### References

* ↑ “gull”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.

### Further reading

* gull on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
* Larus on Wikispecies.Wikispecies

## Faroese
### Etymology

From Old Norse gull, from Proto-Germanic *gulþą.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /kʊtl/

### Noun

gull n (genitive singular guls, uncountable)
* gold
* (in proverbs) richness, money, livestock
* gold medal, first place (sports, etc.)

#### Declension
## Icelandic
### Etymology

From Old Norse gull (“gold”), from Proto-Germanic *gulþą.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /kʏtl/
* Rhymes: -ʏtl

### Noun

gull n (genitive singular gulls, nominative plural gull)
* (uncountable) gold (chemical element)
* (countable) a cherished thing
* (countable) a gold medal or prize

#### Derived terms

* ekki er allt gull sem glóir
* glópagull
* gull af manni
* morgunstund gefur gull í mund

## Norwegian Bokmål
### Etymology

From Danish guld (pre-1907 Riksmål spelling), from Old Norse gull, from Proto-Germanic *gulþą.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ɡʉlː/

### Noun

gull n (definite singular gullet, uncountable)
* gold

#### Derived terms

* bladgull
* det er ikke gull alt som glimrer
* gullalder
* gullbarre
* gullbeslått
* gullende
* gullfisk
* gullgraver
* gullgraving
* gullgruve
* gullhår
* gulljubileum
* gullmedalje
* gullrush
* gyllen

#### Related terms

* forgylle, forgylt

### References

* “gull” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

## Norwegian Nynorsk
### Alternative forms

* goillj, goill (eye dialect, Trøndelag dialect)

### Etymology

From Old Norse gull and goll, from Proto-Germanic *gulþą. Akin to English gold.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ɡʉlː/

### Noun

gull n (definite singular gullet, uncountable)
* gold

#### Derived terms

* bladgull
* gullalder
* gullande
* gullbarre
* gullbeslått
* gullfisk
* gullgraving
* gullgruve
* gullmedalje
* gullrush

### References

* “gull” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

## Old Norse
### Alternative forms

* goll

### Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *gulþą (“gold”). Cognate with Old English gold, Old Frisian gold, Old Saxon gold, Old Dutch golt, Old High German gold, Gothic 𐌲𐌿𐌻𐌸 (gulþ). See also Finnish kulta. Ultimately from Pre-Germanic *ǵʰl̥tóm (“gold”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃- (“green, yellow”).

### Pronunciation

* (12th century Icelandic) IPA: /ˈɡulː/

### Noun

gull n (genitive gulls, plural gull)
* (uncountable, singular only) gold
** Laurentius saga 65, in 1858, Jón_Sigurðsson, Guðbrandur_Vigfússon, Biskupa sögur, Volume I. Copenhagen, page 877:
    Vér viljum ok gefa þér gull vort, […]
    We also want to give you our gold, […]
* (countable) a jewel, thing of value, especially a finger-ring
** Stjórn 78, in 1862, C. R. Unger, Stjórn: gammelnorsk Bibelhistorie: fra Verdens Skabelse til det babyloniske Fangenskab. Christiania, page 254:
    Enn þegar sem hon bar þetta gull, […]
    But when she wore that ring, […]

#### Derived terms

* fingrgull (“finger-ring”)
* gullaldr (“golden age”)
* gullari (“banner of Charlemagne”)
* gullauðigr (“rich in gold”)
* gullauðr (“wealth in gold”)
* gullband (“golden headband”)
* gullbaugr (“gold ring”)
* gullberg (“goldmine”)
* gullbitlaðr (“gold-bitted”)
* gullbitull (“a bit of gold”)
* gullbjartr (“bright as gold”)
* gullborði (“gold lace”)
* gullbrynja (“gold coat of mail”)
* gullbóka (“to embroider with gold”)
* gullbóla (“gold bull”)
* gullbúinn (“ornamented with gold”)
* gullbǫllr (“golden ball”)
* gulldropi (“drops of gold”)
* gulldálkr (“golden pin”)
* gullepli (“golden apple”)
* gullfalligr (“charming”)
* gullfestr (“gold chain”)
* gullfjallaðr (“embroidered with gold”)
* gullfágaðr (“stained with gold”)
* gullgóðr (“of pure gold”)
* gullgǫrr (“made of gold”)
* gullgǫrð (“golden girth”)
* gullhagr (“skilled in making gold”)
* gullheimr (“golden age”)
* gullhella (“bar of gold”)
* gullhirzla (“gold treasury”)
* gullhjalt (“golden hilt”)
* gullhjálmr (“golden helmet”)
* gullhlað (“golden lace”)
* gullhlaðinn (“laced with gold”)
* gullhringr (“gold ring”)
* gullhyrndr (“golden-horned”)
* gullhálsar (“gold-necks”)
* gullhárr (“golden-haired”)
* gullhús (“treasure house”)
* gullinhjalti (“golden hilt”)
* gullinkambi (“gold comb”)
* gullinn (“golden”)
* gullinstóla (“with throne of gold”)
* Gullintanni (“Heimdall”)
* gullintoppa (“gold-tuft”)
* gullkalekr, gullkalikr (“golden chalice”)
* gullkambr (“golden comb”)
* gullker (“golden vessel”)
* gullkista (“golden chest”)
* gullknappaðr (“gold-buttoned”)
* gullknappr (“gold button”)
* gullknútr (“gold knot”)
* gullknǫttr (“gold ball”)
* gullkranz (“golden garland”)
* gullkross (“golden cross”)
* gullkálfr (“golden calf”)
* gullkóróna (“gold crown”)
* gulllað (“golden lace”)
* gullleggja (“to lace with gold”)
* gullligr (“golden”)
* gullmen (“golden necklace”)
* gullmerktr, gullmerkaðr (“marked with gold”)
* gullmunnr, gullmuðr (“Chrysostom”)
* gullmál (“ornaments of gold”)
* gullmálmr (“gold ore”)
* gullnagli (“gold nail”)
* gullnisti (“locket of gold”)
* gullofinn (“gold-woven”)
* gullormr (“golden serpent”)
* gullpenningr (“gold penny”)
* gullrekendi (“gold chain”)
* gullrekinn (“inlaid with gold”)
* gullritinn (“written with gold”)
* gullroðinn (“gilt”)
* gullsandr (“golden sand”)
* gullsaumaðr (“embroidered with gold”)
* gullsettr (“laid with gold”)
* gullskillingr (“gold shilling”)
* gullskotinn (“woven with gold”)
* gullskrift (“golden tablet”)
* gullskrín (“gold shrine”)
* gullskál (“gold basin”)
* gullslitr (“gold colour”)
* gullsmeittr, gullsmeltr (“gold-enamelled”)
* gullsmiðr (“goldsmith”)
* gullsmíð (“goldsmithery”)
* gullsmíðligr (“of goldsmithery”)
* gullspori (“gold spur”)
* gullsproti (“golden scepter”)
* gullspuni (“gold spinning”)
* gullspánn (“gold ornament of ships”)
* gullspǫng (“gold sprangle”)
* gullstafaðr (“gold-striped”)
* gullstafr (“gold letter”)
* gullstaup (“gold stoup”)
* gullsteindr (“gold-stained”)
* gullstóll (“gold chain”)
* gullstúka (“gold sleeve”)
* gullstǫng (“bar of gold”)
* gullsylgja (“golden brooch”)
* gulltafla (“gold piece used in playing”)
* gullteinn (“gold pole”)
* gulltoppr (“name of a horse”)
* gullvafiðr (“wounded with gold”)
* Gullvarta (“Golden Gate in Constantinople”)
* gullveggr (“golden wall”)
* gullvippaðr (“wrapped in gold”)
* gullviðjur (“gold withies”)
* gullvægr (“precious”)
* gullvǫndr (“gold thread”)
* gullþráðr (“gold wand”)

#### Descendants

* Icelandic: gull n
* Faroese: gull n
* Norwegian Nynorsk: gull n
* Old Swedish: gull n
** Swedish: gull, guld n
* Old Danish:
** Danish: guld n
*** Norwegian Bokmål: gull n
*** → Greenlandic: kuulti
* Gutnish: gull n

### Further reading

* Richard Cleasby, Guðbrandur Vigfússon (1874) “gull”, in An Icelandic-English Dictionary, 1st edition, Oxford: Oxford Clarendon Press, page 220
* Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) “gull”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 175; also available at the Internet Archive

## Swedish
### Alternative forms

* guld (modern form)

### Etymology

From Old Norse gull, from Proto-Germanic *gulþą.

### Noun

gull n
* (poetic, archaic) gold
    Har du silver har du gull, / har du kistorna full?
       Do you have silver and gold, / are your treasure chests full? (song lyrics)
    Wilt thw wara tik sielffuir hull, / tw älska friiheet meer än gull (Old Swedish, poem by bishop Tomas, 1439)
       Vill du vara dig själver huld, / du älska frihet mer än guld (translated to standard Swedish)
          If you want to help yourself, you should love freedom more than gold
* (colloquial) baby, darling, someone dear and cute (gullig), someone to cuddle (gulla med)
    mina små gull
       my little darlings
    Kom nu gullet, det är finfint väder ute
       Come on baby, it's a perfect sunny day

#### Usage notes

* The form gull is archaic or poetic outside compound words and fixed expressions, where it has taken the sense of beloved or favorable as in gullgosse (“golden boy”), gullegris (“darling, pet”), gullunge (“beloved child”), etc.