Bugle

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈbjuːɡəl/

Definitions

1. A brass wind instrument with three valves that produces bright, piercing tones and is commonly used in military signals and ceremonial contexts
2. A wind instrument crafted from brass that generates sharp, vibrant sounds, often used in military contexts and formal ceremonies
3. A brass musical instrument featuring a conical shape that emits clear, high-pitched notes, typically employed in military signaling and ceremonial occasions

Etymology: The bugle began life as a young ox. Its ancestor is Latin "būculus," meaning a young steer or heifer, and the same word passed through Anglo-Norman as "bugle," which by the Middle English period also named the animal. The instrument takes its name from the horn that such beasts once provided, the sounding horn of an ox being a natural model for early hunting and signalling horns. The word then split in an unexpected direction. Alongside the animal sense, Anglo-Norman and Old French had a plant name, "bugle," for bugleweed, the common bugle (Ajuga reptans), probably from Medieval Latin "bugilla." Both lines of meaning entered English, so the same word now names a wind instrument, a plant, and once an ox.

Synonyms: horn, trumpet