hull English · revision 10258

+ Hull, a husk, is from Old English hulu; hull, the body of a ship, is first recorded in 1571 and may be the same word or a different one.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /hʌl/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ {{homograph|1|husk}}

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+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 1000|origins=gem-pro *hulą|origins=ine-pro *kel-}}

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is Middle English hol, hulle, [[inh|ang|hulu|t=husk, pod]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) from the base of Old English helan, to cover,^(Hoad 1986)^(MWU 2024) from Proto-Germanic *hulu-,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) source also of Old High German hulla, covering (German [[m|de|Hülle]]), and hulsa, husk (German [[m|de|Hülse]]), and Dutch huls,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) from PIE [[ine-pro|*kel-|t=to cover, conceal]].^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) See [[hell]].^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The shell, pod or husk of peas and beans: about 1000.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The cuticle of grain, bran, is from about 1450,^(OED 1989) and the calyx of certain fruits from 1883.^(OED 1989) Figurative use, a covering or envelope, is by 1831.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) The verb, to remove the husk, is from the early 15th century;^(Etymonline) ''hulled'' can mean both having a hull and stripped of it.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1000 – a pod or husk.^(OED 1989)

+ * early 15th century – the verb.^(Etymonline)

+ * c. 1450 – bran.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1831 – a covering.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1883 – the calyx of a fruit.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The dry outer covering of a fruit, seed or nut; a [[husk]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # The green calyx at the base of a strawberry or similar fruit.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To remove the hulls of fruit or seeds.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[hulled]]

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+ {{homograph|2|ship}}

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+ {{infobox|confidence=uncertain|attested=1571}}

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+ ==Etymology==

+ It is of uncertain origin.^(Barnhart 1988) It is usually said to be the same word as hull, a husk, from a fancied resemblance of a ship to an open peapod;^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) compare Latin carina, keel, originally a nutshell, and French coque, ship's hull, eggshell.^(Etymonline) The alternative is Middle English hoole, a ship's keel (about 1440, in the Promptorium Parvulorum), probably from the same source as [[hold]], the interior of a ship,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(NODE 1998) or perhaps a noun use of hol, hollow.^(Hoad 1986)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The body or frame of a ship, apart from masts, sails and rigging: 1571 in Barnhart and the OED, the 1550s in Etymonline.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ A dismantled vessel, a hulk, is from 1582 and obsolete.^(OED 1989) A verb, of a ship, to drift with the wind on its hull alone, is from the mid-16th century,^(SOED 2002) and to strike a ship in the hull is also recorded.^(SOED 2002) The body of a flying boat, airship, tank or missile is a later extension.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1571 – a ship's hull.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1582 – a hulk.^(OED 1989)

+ * mid-16th century – to drift (verb).^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The frame or body of a [[ship]], apart from masts, engines and superstructure.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # The main body of other large vehicles, such as a tank, airship or missile.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To pierce the hull of a ship.^(AHD)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[hull-down]]

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+ ==Related words==

+ * [[husk]]

+ * [[hold]]

+ * [[hulk]]

+ * [[hell]]

+ * [[holster]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ In northern English and Scots dialect, a hull was also a sty or pen for animals.^(OED 1989)^(Wright 1898)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}