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gull¹

(gŭl)

Any of various chiefly coastal seabirds of the family Laridae, having long wings, webbed feet, a thick, slightly hooked beak, and usually gray and white plumage.

[Middle English gulle, possibly of Brythonic origin.]

gull²

(gŭl)

A person who is easily tricked or cheated; a dupe.

tr.v. gulled, gull·ing, gulls

To deceive or cheat.

[Probably from gull, to swallow (obsolete), from Middle English golen, to pretend to swallow, from gole, throat, perhaps from Old French goule; see GULLET.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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