bull-roarer

[ boo l-rawr-er, -rohr- ]

/ ˈbʊlˌrɔr ər, -ˌroʊr- /

noun

a wooden slat that produces a roaring sound when whirled around one's head on the end of a string or thong, used by some peoples of the world in religious ceremonies and by others as a toy.

Also called thunderstick.

Origin of bull-roarer

First recorded in 1880–85

Words nearby bull-roarer

bull-bar, bull-headed, bull-necked, bull-nosed, bull-nosed bow, bull-roarer, bull., bulla, bullace, bullamakanka, bullarium

Example sentences from the Web for bull-roarer

When someone makes the bull-roarer resound, they say that it is the voice of the ancestor making himself heard.

The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life |Emile Durkheim
The memory of the old hag and the bull-roarer was in my mind.

The Best Short Stories of 1921 and the Yearbook of the American Short Story |Various
The bull-roarer has been, and is, a sacred and magical instrument in many and widely separated lands.

Custom and Myth |Andrew Lang
The Australian stone churinga are shaped like the wooden churinga, and these are shaped like the tundun, or 'bull-roarer.'

Magic and Religion |Andrew Lang

In the first place the bull-roarer is associated with mysteries and initiations.

Custom and Myth |Andrew Lang

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

bull-roarer

noun

Origin of bull-roarer

Words nearby bull-roarer

Example sentences from the Web for bull-roarer