bunyan
bunyan Lexical Profile
• noun
(capitalized) An English surname, most famously borne by John Bunyan (1628–1688), the English writer and Puritan preacher who authored the Christian allegory 'The Pilgrim's Progress', or Paul Bunyan, a giant lumberjack in North American folklore.
"The literature course examined the enduring influence of John Bunyan on early English prose."
An archaic or nonstandard spelling of bunion, a painful swelling on the first joint of the big toe.
"Old medical journals occasionally spelled the foot deformity as a bunyan rather than a bunion."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse the proper surname and folklore figure 'Bunyan' with the homophone 'bunion', which refers to a painful bony swelling at the base of the big toe, though 'bunyan' is occasionally encountered as an archaic variant spelling of the foot condition.
• Rhymes for bunyan
Word Origin & Etymology
As an English surname, Bunyan derives from the Old French nickname 'bugnon', meaning a bump, swelling, or fritter. The American folklore figure Paul Bunyan originated in 19th-century North American logging camp tall tales.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.