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Added 4 October 2026

cull

/kʌl/ verb

Latin root: colligō Wiktionary

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about cull at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

To pick or take someone or something (from a larger group).
To gather, collect.
To select (animals, plants, humans, etc) from a group and then kill (them) in a controlled manner, typically to reduce the numbers of the group or remove group members who have an undesirable characteristic.

noun

A selection.
An organized killing of selected animals.
An individual animal selected to be killed, or item of produce to be discarded.

noun

A fool, gullible person; a dupe.
A man or boy.

Origin

From Middle English cullen, cuilen, coilen, from Old French cuillir (“collect, gather, select”), from Latin colligō (“gather together”). Doublet of coil.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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