ENGLISH
REFERENCE

bulb

n. countable
A2 Elementary US //ˈbəɫb// UK //bˈʌlb// bulb Archaic

n. the glass part of a lamp that produces light when you turn it on. It can also mean the round part of some plants, like onions or tulips, that grows under the ground.

n. the glass component of an electric lamp that emits light; also, a rounded underground storage organ of certain plants, such as lilies or onions, consisting of a short stem covered by fleshy leaves.


SIMPLE

I need to change the light bulb in the kitchen.

CONTEXTUAL

We spent the afternoon planting tulip bulbs in the garden so they would bloom by early spring.

COMPLEX

The inventor experimented with hundreds of different filaments before finding a material that would glow reliably inside the vacuum of a glass bulb.

Synonyms
Origin

Etymology tree Ancient Greek βολβός (bolbós)bor. Latin bulbusder. English bulb Inherited from Middle English bulb, bolbe, from Latin bulbus (“bulb, onion”), from Ancient Greek βολβός (bolbós, “plant with round swelling on underground stem”).

Usage

Commonly used in compound nouns like 'light bulb' or 'flower bulb'.

© 2026 English Reference