Webster
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Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Bully

Bul′ly (bul′ly̆), n.; pl. Bullies. [Cf. LG. bullerjaan, bullerbäk, bullerbrook, a blusterer, D. bulderaar a bluster, bulderen to bluster; prob. of imitative origin; or cf. MHG. buole lover, G. buhle.] 1. A noisy, blustering fellow, more insolent than courageous; one who is threatening and quarrelsome; an insolent, tyrannical fellow.

Bullies seldom execute the threats they deal in. Palmerston.

2. A brisk, dashing fellow. [Slang Obs.] Shak.

Bul′ly (bụl′ly̆), a. 1. Jovial and blustering; dashing. [Slang] "Bless thee, bully doctor." Shak.

2. Fine; excellent; as, a bully horse. [Slang, U.S.]

Bul′ly, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bullied; p. pr. & vb. n. Bullying.] To intimidate with threats and by an overbearing, swaggering demeanor; to act the part of a bully toward.

For the last fortnight there have been prodigious shoals of volunteers gone over to bully the French, upon hearing the peace was just signing. Tatler.

Syn. — To bluster; swagger; hector; domineer.

Bul′ly, v. i. To act as a bully.

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Noah Porter, editor (Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913). Public domain. Text as transcribed by MICRA, Inc., from Project Gutenberg. Changed for Deep Dive Bible: Greek, which our source spelled in Latin letters, set in Greek letters; entries of one spelling merged into one article; Greek words our source left out (shown as “?”), read from the 1898 printing, from the same plates (the Library of Congress’s copy), where the place could be found with certainty. Of the others, 1,362 (a word or a single letter each) were inferred by AI from the context by the dictionary’s own rules and are marked with a wavy underline (tap or point at one to see the note); the rest, which could not be inferred with confidence, are left as “?”.