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Glite Dictionary
Bunyan

Bunyan

5 9.9
A giant lumberjack in North American stories who does impossible feats
  • proper noun
  • /ˈbʌnjən/
  • Literature
: Paul Bunyan
  • Stopping Paul Bunyan gives the Anishinaabe a second chance at restoring the woods and continuing a subsistence lifestyle.
  • Paul Bunyan

They're going to be people, you know, Paul Bunyan's going to go through the streets.

Examples

  • A sweep of headlights illuminates a sign on the pedestal: WELCOME TO BRAINDERD - HOME OF PAUL BUNYAN.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • One phenomenon that deserves further investigation is the creation of modern Wenabozho stories, especially those involving Paul Bunyan.

    Academic text (2002)

  • And my journal entry was about Paul Bunyan.

    Backfire (2017)

  • Home of Paul Bunyan, Babe the Blue Ox.

    Fargo (1996)

  • Well, this is the land of Paul Bunyan and his giant ox, Babe.

    Prophecy (1979)

  • Children aren't overly concerned with finding out that Peter Pan is a myth, or Paul Bunyan, either.

    Blog text (12)

  • Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan, has been widely utilized as children's reading.

    Academic text (2001)

  • In North American folklore, Paul Bunyan is known for his incredible feats as a giant lumberjack.

  • The legend of Paul Bunyan tells of a colossal woodsman who could fell entire forests with a single swing of his axe.

  • Many stories describe Paul Bunyan as an enormous figure who traveled the northern woods with his blue ox, Babe.

Synonyms

Paul Bunyan
vsBunyan
  • Literature
4 7.2

A famous giant who cuts trees in stories from North America

has identical meaning but uses the shorter form without the given name

Surface Forms

Bunyan main

Etymology

The name Bunyan, as in Paul Bunyan, may come from French-Canadian Bon Jean, which means 'good John' and was a playful name used by lumber workers. So you can remember Bunyan as a giant, friendly 'good John' of the north woods.