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Glite Dictionary
bullbat

bullbat

9.9
A night bird in North America that flies low to catch insects
  • noun
  • /ˈbʊlˌbæt/
  • Archaic
translation icon : bullbat
  • As dusk fell, I heard the familiar calls of bullbats flying overhead in search of insects.

Examples

  • The bullbat is known for its unique aerial displays as it hunts for food at night.

  • Watching the bullbat glide gracefully through the twilight sky was a breathtaking sight.

  • Crazy as a bullbat.

    Marmaduke (2010)

  • Beyond the windows, the last bullbats dived at the sea, which still had some of the night left over in it, gray and worn to pieces on its surface.

    Fiction book (1990)

Synonyms

nighthawk
vsbullbat
  • US
1 7.3

A night bird in North America that catches insects while flying

is the common name used for that same nocturnal species
nightjar
vsbullbat
1 9.5

A bird active at night with grey-brown feathers and large eyes that eats insects

refers to a specific common species within the broader family
mosquito hawk
vsbullbat
  • US
9.3

A North American bird active at night that eats flying insects

is the standard common name for the same bird

Surface Forms

bullbat singular
bullbats plural

Morphology

bullbat = bull + bat (semi-transparent) = bull + bat

Formally a straightforward combination of 'bull' + 'bat', but the compound names a specific bird species (nighthawk) rather than a literal bull or bat, so learners may be misled.

Etymology

Bullbat probably comes from two familiar words: bull (for its 'deep, low' call) and bat (because it flies at dusk and night like a 'bat'). So the name gives an easy picture of a night bird that flies like a bat and makes booming sounds while catching insects.