bunt
bunt Lexical Profile
bunt Game Scores & Validity
• noun
In baseball or softball, a play in which a pitched ball is lightly tapped with a loosely held bat rather than swung at, causing the ball to roll slowly into the infield.
"The batter laid down a textbook sacrifice bunt to advance the runner to third base."
A fungal disease of wheat and related cereal crops caused by smut fungi of the genus Tilletia, which replaces the grain kernels with dark, foul-smelling spore masses.
"Farmers treat wheat seeds with fungicide prior to planting to prevent losses from bunt."
The middle, baggy part or belly of a square sail or fishing net that catches the wind or holds the catch.
"The deckhands hauled in the heavy bunt of the net as the trawler slowed down."
• verb
To tap a pitched baseball or softball lightly into the infield without swinging the bat.
"With a fast runner on first base, the coach signaled the hitter to bunt."
To push, prod, or butt firmly with the head or horns (especially of a young mammal nudging an udder or a cat rubbing its head against someone).
"The newborn calf began to bunt its mother's udder to stimulate the flow of milk."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse with 'Bundt', a trademarked name for a ring-shaped cake pan (and the cake baked in it).