n. [ F. boulet, dim. of boule ball. See Bull an edict, and cf. Boulet. ] 1. A small ball. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A missile, usually of lead, and round or elongated in form, to be discharged from a rifle, musket, pistol, or other small firearm. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A cannon ball. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

A ship before Greenwich . . . shot off her ordnance, one piece being charged with a bullet of stone. Stow. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. The fetlock of a horse. [ See Illust. under Horse. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Bullet tree. See Bully tree. --
Bullet wood, the wood of the bullet tree. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a head shaped like a bullet. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ F. bulletin, fr. It. bullettino, dim. of bulletta, dim. of bulla, bolla, an edict of the pope, from L. bulla bubble. See Bull an edict. ] 1. A brief statement of facts respecting some passing event, as military operations or the health of some distinguished personage, issued by authority for the information of the public. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Any public notice or announcement, especially of news recently received. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A periodical publication, especially one containing the proceeding of a society. [ 1913 Webster ]

bulletin board, a board on which announcements are put, particularly at newsrooms, newspaper offices, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Capable of resisting the force of a bullet; resistant to penetration by a bullet; armored; as, a bulletproof vest; a bulletproof window. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

2. designed so as to be resistant to abuse or misuse and incapable of malfunction under normal use; as, a bulletproof computer program. [ PJC ]

3. so well thought out as to be resistant to criticism or certain to succeed; as, a bulletproof plan. [ PJC ]

(Mil.) A kind of man-stopping bullet, designed to fragment inside the body and thus inflict a severed and painful wound; -- so named from Dumdum, in India, where bullets are manufactured for the Indian army. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC ]

n. [ From the notion of a bullet that will kill only the bacterium or disease it is intended for. ] A drug or therapy or preventive that cures or prevents a disease, with only minimal side effects; as, there is no magic bullet against cancer. [ WordNet 1.5 ]