hull1

[huhl] /hʌl/
noun
1.
the husk, shell, or outer covering of a seed or fruit.
2.
the calyx of certain fruits, as the strawberry.
3.
any covering or envelope.
verb (used with object)
4.
to remove the hull of.
5.
Midland U.S. to shell (peas or beans).
Origin
before 1000; Middle English; Old English hulu husk, pod; akin to Old English helan to cover, hide, Latin cēlāre to hide, conceal, Greek kalýptein to cover up (see apocalypse). See hall, hell, hole
Related forms
huller, noun
Synonyms
1. skin, pod, peel, rind, shuck.

hull2

[huhl] /hʌl/
noun
1.
the hollow, lowermost portion of a ship, floating partially submerged and supporting the remainder of the ship.
2.
Aeronautics.
  1. the boatlike fuselage of a flying boat on which the plane lands or takes off.
  2. the cigar-shaped arrangement of girders enclosing the gasbag of a rigid dirigible.
verb (used with object)
3.
to pierce (the hull of a ship), especially below the water line.
verb (used without object)
4.
to drift without power or sails.
Idioms
5.
hull down, (of a ship) sufficiently far away, or below the horizon, that the hull is invisible.
6.
hull up, (of a ship) sufficiently near, or above the horizon, that the hull is visible.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English; special use of hull1
Related forms
hull-less, adjective

Hull

[huhl] /hʌl/
noun
1.
Cordell
[kawr-del,, kawr-del] /ˈkɔr dɛl,, kɔrˈdɛl/ (Show IPA), 1871–1955, U.S. statesman: secretary of state 1933–44; Nobel Peace Prize 1945.
2.
Robert Marvin ("Bobby") born 1939, Canadian ice-hockey player.
3.
William, 1753–1825, U.S. general.
4.
Official name Kingston-upon-Hull. a seaport in Humberside, in E England, on the Humber River.
5.
a city in SE Canada, on the Ottawa River opposite Ottawa.
Examples from the web for hull
  • He said the boat's hull was too thin and the backing plate that attaches the keel to the hull was too narrow.
  • He could read how far he was from shore, and its direction, by the feel of the swell against the hull.
  • The hull of a wrecked boat sits on a beach at sunset.
  • Hitchhiking on the surface of a boat hull can be a rough ride, but barnacles seem to do it with ease.
  • During each paddle stroke, the pressure of the water against the concrete hull compresses it slightly.
  • Mechanical mixers fitted between the booms and the hull will increase the wool's absorptive capacity.
  • Each is roughed out in the forest from a single tree, then hauled to the beach to be fitted with a hull and roof.
  • To the hull will be added ventilators, smoke stacks and pilothouse.
  • The next fall, raging gales set the ship adrift and then drove her into an iceberg, damaging her hull.
  • The tsunami rearranged the town: in the mud beneath a blackened hull lies a string of pearls.
British Dictionary definitions for hull

hull

/hʌl/
noun
1.
the main body of a vessel, tank, flying boat, etc
2.
the shell or pod of peas or beans; the outer covering of any fruit or seed; husk
3.
the persistent calyx at the base of a strawberry, raspberry, or similar fruit
4.
the outer casing of a missile, rocket, etc
verb
5.
to remove the hulls from (fruit or seeds)
6.
(transitive) to pierce the hull of (a vessel, tank, etc)
Derived Forms
huller, noun
hull-less, adjective
Word Origin
Old English hulu; related to Old High German helawa, Old English helan to hide

Hull1

/hʌl/
noun
1.
a city and port in NE England, in Kingston upon Hull unitary authority, East Riding of Yorkshire: fishing, food processing; two universities. Pop: 301 416 (2001). Official name: Kingston upon Hull
2.
a city in SE Canada, in SW Quebec on the River Ottawa: a centre of the timber trade and associated industries. Pop: 66 246 (2001)

Hull2

/hʌl/
noun
1.
Cordell. 1871–1955, US statesman; secretary of state (1933–44). He helped to found the U.N.: Nobel peace prize 1945
Word Origin and History for hull
n.

"seed covering," from Old English hulu "husk, pod," from Proto-Germanic *hulus "to cover" (cf. Old High German hulla, hulsa; German Hülle, Hülse, Dutch huls). Figurative use by 1831.

"body of a ship," 1550s, perhaps from hull (n.1) on fancied resemblance of ship keels to open peapods (cf. Latin carina "keel of a ship," originally "shell of a nut;" Greek phaselus "light passenger ship, yacht," literally "bean pod;" French coque "hull of a ship; shell of a walnut or egg"). Alternative etymology is from Middle English hoole "ship's keel" (mid-15c.), from the same source as hold (n.).

v.

"to remove the husk of," early 15c., from hull (n.1). Related: Hulled, which can mean both "having a particular kind of hull" and "stripped of the hull."

hull in Science
hull
  (hŭl)   

  1. The dry outer covering of a fruit, seed, or nut; a husk.

  2. The enlarged calyx of a fruit, such as a strawberry, that is usually green and easily detached.