bunt

Meanings

Noun

• The middle part, cavity, or belly of a sail; the part of a furled sail which is at the center of the yard.
• A push or shove; a butt.
• A ball that has been intentionally hit softly so as to be difficult to field, sometimes with a hands-spread batting stance or with a close-hand, choked-up hand position. No swinging action is involved.
• The act of bunting.
• The second half of an outside loop, from level flight to inverted flight.
• A fungus (Ustilago foetida (species)) affecting the ear of cereals, filling the grains with a foetid dust; pepperbrand.

Verb

• To push with the horns; to butt.
• To spring or rear up.
• To intentionally hit softly with a hands-spread batting stance.
• To intentionally hit a ball softly with a hands-spread batting stance.
• To perform (the second half of) an outside loop.
• To swell out.
• To headbutt affectionately.

Origin

• Unknown. Perhaps a nasalised variant of butt.