different between bully vs nettle

English

Etymology

From 1530, as a term of endearment, probably a diminutive ( +? -y) of Dutch boel (“lover; brother”), from Middle Dutch boel, boele (“brother; lover”), from Old Dutch *buolo, from Proto-Germanic *b?lô (compare Middle Low German bôle (“brother”), Middle High German buole (“brother; close relative; close relation”) (whence German Buhle (“lover”)), Old English B?la, B?lla (personal name), diminutive of expressive *b?- (“brother, father”). Compare also Latvian b?linš (“brother”). More at boy.

The term acquired negative senses during the 17th century; first ‘noisy, blustering fellow’ then ‘a person who is cruel to others’. Possibly influenced by bull (“male cattle”) or via the ‘prostitute's minder’ sense. The positive senses are dated, but survive in phrases such as bully pulpit.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?b?li/
• Rhymes: -?li

Noun

bully (countable and uncountable, plural bullies)

1. A person who is intentionally physically or emotionally cruel to others, especially to those who are weaker or have less power or privilege. [from late 17th c.]

2. A noisy, blustering, tyrannical person, more insolent than courageous; one who is threatening and quarrelsome.
3. A hired thug.
   • 1849, John McLean, Notes of a Twenty-Five Years' Service in the Hudson's Bay Territory, pp. 42-3:

     Mr. Fisher returned from town... he had learnt that our opponents intended to shift the scene of operations to the Chats... We understood that they had hired two bullies for the purpose of deciding the matter par voie de fait. Mr Fisher hired two of the same description, who were supposed to be more than a match for the opposition party.

   Synonyms: henchman, thug

4. A sex worker’s minder.

   Synonyms: pimp; see also Thesaurus:pimp

   • 2009, Dan Cruikshank, Secret History of Georgian London, Random House, p. 473:

     The Proclamation Society and the Society for the Suppression of Vice were more concerned with obscene literature […] than with hands-on street battles with prostitutes and their bullies […].

5. (uncountable) Bully beef.
6. (obsolete) A brisk, dashing fellow.
7. The small scrum in the Eton College field game.
8. Various small freshwater or brackishwater fish of the family Eleotridae; sleeper goby.
9. (obsolete or dialectal, Ireland and Northern England) An (eldest) brother; a fellow workman; comrade
10. (dialectal) A companion; mate (male or female).

    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:friend

11. (obsolete) A darling, sweetheart (male or female).

    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:sweetheart
12. (field hockey) A standoff between two players from the opposing teams, who repeatedly hit each other's hockey sticks and then attempt to acquire the ball, as a method of resuming the game in certain circumstances. Also called bully-off.
13. (mining) A miner's hammer.

Translations

Verb

bully (third-person singular simple present bullies, present participle bullying, simple past and past participle bullied)

1. (transitive) To intimidate (someone) as a bully.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:intimidate

2. (transitive) To act aggressively towards.

   Synonyms: push around, ride roughshod over

Translations

Adjective

bully (comparative bullier, superlative bulliest)

1. (US, slang) Very good.

   Synonyms: excellent; see also Thesaurus:excellent

   • 1916, The Independent (volumes 35-36, page 6)

     She is a bully woman, not only a good mother, but a wonderful in-law

2. (slang, obsolete) Jovial and blustering.

   Synonym: dashing

   • 1597, William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor Act II, scene iii:

Derived terms

• bully boy
• bully pulpit

Translations

Interjection

bully

1. (often followed by for) Well done!

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:well done

Translations

Further reading

• bully on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

References

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English bully, itself a derivation of Dutch boel (“lover; brother”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?bu.li/
• Hyphenation: bul?ly

Noun

bully m (plural bully's)

1. (field hockey) bully (way of resuming the game with a standoff between two opposing players who repeatedly hit each other's sticks, then try to gain possession of the ball)

Spanish

Noun

bully m (plural bullys or bullies or bully)

1. bully

English

Wikispecies

Etymology

From Middle English netle, netel, from Old English netle, netele, netel, from Proto-West Germanic *natilu (cognate with Old Saxon netila, Middle Dutch netele (modern Dutch netel), German Nessel, Middle Danish nædlæ (“nettle”)), a diminutive of Proto-Germanic *nat? (of unknown origin, perhaps from the same source as net).

Pronunciation

• enPR: n?t'(?)l, IPA^(key): /?n?t(?)l/
• Rhymes: -?t(?)l

Noun

nettle (plural nettles)

1. Any plant whose foliage is covered with stinging, mildly poisonous hairs, causing an instant rash.
   1. Especially, most species of herb genus Urtica, the stinging nettles:
      1. Most, but not all, subspecies of Urtica dioica (common nettle),
      2. Urtica incisa (Australian nettle);
   2. Wood nettle (Laportea canadensis);
   3. Bull nettles and spurge nettles of genus Cnidoscolus:
      1. Cnidoscolus stimulosus, bull nettle, spurge nettle,
      2. Cnidoscolus texanus, Texas bull nettle,
      3. Cnidoscolus urens, bull nettle,
      4. Nettle trees or tree nettles:
         1. Various species of the genus Dendrocnide:
         2. Urera baccifera (scratchbush),
         3. Urtica ferox (tree nettle);
   4. rock nettle (Eucnide);
   5. small-leaved nettle (Dendrocnide photinophylla).
2. Certain plants that have spines or prickles:
   1. ball nettle (Solanum carolinense);
   2. Solanum elaeagnifolium, bull nettle, silver-leaf nettle, white horse-nettle;
   3. Solanum dimidiatum, western horse-nettle, robust horse-nettle;
   4. Solanum rostratum, horse-nettle;
   5. Celtis (hackberry).
3. Certain non-stinging plants, mostly in the family Lamiaceae, that resemble the species of Urtica:
   1. dead nettle, dumb nettle (Lamium), particularly Lamium album, white nettle;
   2. false nettle (Boehmeria, family Urticaceae);
   3. flame nettle or painted nettle (Coleus);
   4. hedge nettle (Stachys);
   5. hemp nettle (Galeopsis);
   6. horse nettle Agastache urticifolia,
   7. nilgiri nettle, Himalayan giant nettle (Girardinia diversifolia, family Urticaceae).
4. Loosely, anything which causes a similarly stinging rash, such as a jellyfish or sea nettle.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

nettle (third-person singular simple present nettles, present participle nettling, simple past and past participle nettled)(transitive)

1. (transitive) Of the nettle plant and similar physical causes, to sting, causing a rash in someone.

   The children were badly nettled after playing in the field.

   • c. 1597, William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 1, Act I, Scene 3,^[1]

     […] I am whipp’d and scourged with rods,

     Nettled and stung with pismires, when I hear

     Of this vile politician, Bolingbroke.

2. (transitive, figuratively) To pique, irritate, vex or provoke.
   • 1679, Aphra Behn, The Feign’d Curtizans, London: Jacob Tonson, Act V, Scene 1, p. ,^[2]

     His Mistress: whose Mistress, what Mistress; s’life how that little word has nettled me!

   • 1741, Samuel Richardson, Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded, London: C. Rivington & J. Osborn, 2nd edition, Volume I, Letter 31, p. 212,^[3]

     I saw Mr. Williams was a little nettled at my Impatience […]

   • 1985, United States. Foreign Broadcast Information Service, Daily Report: People's Republic of China (issues 180-189, page 42)

     Liu, whose political writings had nettled the Taiwanese authorities, was assassinated on October 15, last year, in Daly City […]

Translations

Anagrams

• letten, telnet