pulla

See also: pull a and Pulla

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Finnish pulla, from Swedish bulle. Doublet of bowl and boule.

Noun

pulla (countable and uncountable, plural pullas)

1. A sweet, leavened baked good made of wheat and flavored with crushed cardamom, resembling very soft bread in consistency, eaten in Finland.
   • 1986, Melissa Ladenheim, "The sauna in central New York:

     "Then we would all have coffee and pulla bread," recalled Hilma Wainio of Spencer.

   • 1991 September 22, Eleanor Charles, “Connecticut Guide”, in The New York Times‎^[1]:

     Other locally made items include pulla, a foot-long braided bread flavored with cardamom and priced at $6 a loaf, and wood carvings.

   • 1992, Joan Potter Loveless, Three Weavers, page 29:

     Pulla is a braided yeast loaf, flavored with freshly ground cardamom and sprinkled with chopped almonds and sugar […]

   • 1992, Aili Jarvenpa, In Two Cultures: The Stories of Second Generation Finnish Americans:

     I remember the best, the years on the farm, wild roses and mushrooms that you picked near the pasture, cardamom pulla warm from the oven, […]

   • 2013, Colleen Coble, Rock Harbor Search and Rescue: Lost and Found, page 106:

     Come on, your dad's grabbed us all some pullas and cider.

   • 2018, Jeff Hertzberg, M.D.; Zoë François, Holiday and Celebration Bread in Five Minutes a Day: Sweet and Decadent Baking for Every Occasion:

     You can expect to be served a slice of pulla with your afternoon coffee in any Finnish household.

Anagrams

• Paull, all-up, pallu

Finnish

Varieties of pulla.

Etymology

Borrowed from Swedish bulle, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *bullǭ. Doublet of pullo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpulːɑ/, [ˈpulːɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -ulːɑ
• Syllabification^(key): pul‧la
• Hyphenation^(key): pul‧la

Noun

pulla

1. cardamom bread, pulla (mildly sweet, leavened baked good made of wheat and flavored with crushed cardamom, resembling very soft bread in consistency)

   Synonyms: nisu, vehnänen

2. (specifically) a simple soft, sweet bun flavored with crushed cardamom and often topped with some nib sugar
3. (loosely) sweet roll, sweet bun (sweet, leavened baked good, often small enough to comprise a single serving)

   Synonyms: nisu, vehnänen

4. (in compounds) ball (roundish food made of meat or similar ingredient and often cooked)

   Synonym: pyörykkä

   lihapulla ― meatball

   falafel-pulla ― falafel ball

Declension

Inflection of pulla (Kotus type 10/koira, no gradation)
nominative		pulla	pullat
genitive		pullan	pullien
partitive		pullaa	pullia
illative		pullaan	pulliin
		singular	plural
nominative		pulla	pullat
accusative	nom.	pulla	pullat
	gen.	pullan
genitive		pullan	pullien pullain rare
partitive		pullaa	pullia
inessive		pullassa	pullissa
elative		pullasta	pullista
illative		pullaan	pulliin
adessive		pullalla	pullilla
ablative		pullalta	pullilta
allative		pullalle	pullille
essive		pullana	pullina
translative		pullaksi	pulliksi
abessive		pullatta	pullitta
instructive		—	pullin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of pulla (Kotus type 10/koira, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative pullani pullani accusative nom. pullani pullani gen. pullani genitive pullani pullieni pullaini rare partitive pullaani pulliani inessive pullassani pullissani elative pullastani pullistani illative pullaani pulliini adessive pullallani pullillani ablative pullaltani pulliltani allative pullalleni pullilleni essive pullanani pullinani translative pullakseni pullikseni abessive pullattani pullittani instructive — — comitative — pullineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative pullasi pullasi accusative nom. pullasi pullasi gen. pullasi genitive pullasi pulliesi pullaisi rare partitive pullaasi pulliasi inessive pullassasi pullissasi elative pullastasi pullistasi illative pullaasi pulliisi adessive pullallasi pullillasi ablative pullaltasi pulliltasi allative pullallesi pullillesi essive pullanasi pullinasi translative pullaksesi pulliksesi abessive pullattasi pullittasi instructive — — comitative — pullinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative pullamme pullamme accusative nom. pullamme pullamme gen. pullamme genitive pullamme pulliemme pullaimme rare partitive pullaamme pulliamme inessive pullassamme pullissamme elative pullastamme pullistamme illative pullaamme pulliimme adessive pullallamme pullillamme ablative pullaltamme pulliltamme allative pullallemme pullillemme essive pullanamme pullinamme translative pullaksemme pulliksemme abessive pullattamme pullittamme instructive — — comitative — pullinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative pullanne pullanne accusative nom. pullanne pullanne gen. pullanne genitive pullanne pullienne pullainne rare partitive pullaanne pullianne inessive pullassanne pullissanne elative pullastanne pullistanne illative pullaanne pulliinne adessive pullallanne pullillanne ablative pullaltanne pulliltanne allative pullallenne pullillenne essive pullananne pullinanne translative pullaksenne pulliksenne abessive pullattanne pullittanne instructive — — comitative — pullinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative pullansa pullansa accusative nom. pullansa pullansa gen. pullansa genitive pullansa pulliensa pullainsa rare partitive pullaansa pulliaan pulliansa inessive pullassaan pullassansa pullissaan pullissansa elative pullastaan pullastansa pullistaan pullistansa illative pullaansa pulliinsa adessive pullallaan pullallansa pullillaan pullillansa ablative pullaltaan pullaltansa pulliltaan pulliltansa allative pullalleen pullallensa pullilleen pullillensa essive pullanaan pullanansa pullinaan pullinansa translative pullakseen pullaksensa pullikseen pulliksensa abessive pullattaan pullattansa pullittaan pullittansa instructive — — comitative — pullineen pullinensa

Derived terms

compounds

• aurinkopulla
• dallaspulla
• falafel-pulla
• junttapulla
• kalapulla
• kanelipulla
• kasvispulla
• kilopulla
• laskiaispulla
• lihapulla
• nisupulla
• pakkopulla
• pikkupulla
• pullahiiri
• pullakahvi
• pullamössö
• pullantuoksu
• pullapelti
• pullapitko
• pullasorsa
• pullasuti
• pullataikina
• pullavanukas
• rahkapulla
• ruispulla
• rusinapulla
• teksaspulla
• tikkupulla
• toscapulla
• täytepulla
• vehnäpulla
• viineripulla
• voipulla
• voisilmäpulla

Descendants

• → English: pulla

Further reading

• “pulla”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[2] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 3 July 2023

Latin

Pronunciation

• pulla:
  • (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈpʊl.la]
  • (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈpul.la]
• pullā:
  • (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈpʊl.laː]
  • (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈpul.la]

Adjective

pulla

1. inflection of pullus:
   1. nominative/vocative feminine singular
   2. nominative/accusative/vocative neuter plural

Adjective

pullā

1. ablative feminine singular of pullus

References

• "pulla", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Portuguese pulha.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ˈpuʝa/ [ˈpu.ʝa]

• IPA^(key): /ˈpuʝa/ [ˈpu.ʝa] (Equatorial Guinea, most of Latin America and Spain)
• IPA^(key): /ˈpuʎa/ [ˈpu.ʎa] (Andes Mountains, rustic northern Spain, Paraguay, Philippines)
• IPA^(key): /ˈpuʃa/ [ˈpu.ʃa] (Buenos Aires and environs)
• IPA^(key): /ˈpuʒa/ [ˈpu.ʒa] (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay)

 

• Rhymes: -uʝa

• Rhymes: -uʝa (Equatorial Guinea, most of Latin America and Spain)
• Rhymes: -uʎa (Andes Mountains, rustic northern Spain, Paraguay, Philippines)
• Rhymes: -uʃa (Buenos Aires and environs)
• Rhymes: -uʒa (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay)

• Syllabification: pu‧lla

Noun

pulla f (plural pullas)

1. an obscenity
2. a gibe; a burn; a dig

See also

• puya

Further reading

• “pulla”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Swedish

Etymology 1

From the interjection pull, used to attract a hen or other bird. Compare the origins of kisse, misse, and pålle.

Noun

pulla c

1. (colloquial) a hen

   Synonym: höna

Declension

Declension of pulla

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	pulla	pullas
	definite	pullan	pullans
plural	indefinite	pullor	pullors
	definite	pullorna	pullornas

Etymology 2

Perhaps the same word as pula.

Verb

pulla (present pullar, preterite pullade, supine pullat, imperative pulla)

1. (vulgar, intransitive and transitive) to finger (oneself, for example during masturbation, or someone else)

   Synonym: fingerpulla

Conjugation

Conjugation of pulla (weak)

	active		passive
infinitive	pulla		pullas
supine	pullat		pullats
imperative	pulla		—
imper. plural1	pullen		—
	present	past	present	past
indicative	pullar	pullade	pullas	pullades
ind. plural1	pulla	pullade	pullas	pullades
subjunctive2	pulle	pullade	pulles	pullades
present participle		pullande
past participle		pullad

¹ Archaic. ² Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

Derived terms

• fingerpulla
• rövpulla

See also

• klittra

References

• “pulla”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “pulla”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• “pulla”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• Fula Ordboken