bushel
bushel
Pronunciation
/ˈbʊʃ.əl/
bʊʃ:
b: /b/ - voiced bilabial stop
ʊ: /ʊ/ - near-close near-back rounded vowel
ʃ: /ʃ/ - voiceless palato-alveolar fricative
əl:
ə: /ə/ - mid central vowel (schwa)
l: /l/ - alveolar lateral approximant
Word Form Variations
The word "bushel" primarily functions as a noun. Here's a breakdown of its forms:
Singular: bushel
Plural: bushels
While "bushel" doesn't have distinct verb or adjective forms in common usage, it can be used to form compound words or phrases that function as different parts of speech:
Noun compounds: bushel basket, bushel bag, bushelful
Adjective phrases: bushel-sized, bushel measure
Verb phrases: (These are less common and often informal) to bushel apples (meaning to collect or measure them in bushels)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition 1: A unit of dry volume used for measuring agricultural produce such as grains and fruits. It is equal to 8 gallons or 4 pecks.
Synonyms: (unit of measure) peck, dry quart, (informal, for a large amount) heap, load, mountain
Antonyms: (While there isn't a direct opposite for a unit of measurement, you can consider these) drop, ounce, smidgen
Definition 2: A container holding the volume of one bushel.
Synonyms: basket, bin, container
Antonyms: (It's difficult to have an antonym for a container, but you could consider) handful, thimbleful
Verb (informal, regional)
Definition: To gather, store, or measure something in bushels.
Synonyms: collect, harvest, gather, accumulate
Antonyms: scatter, disperse, distribute
Adjective (usually in compounds)
Definition: Relating to or having the size or capacity of a bushel.
Examples: bushel basket, bushel-sized bag
Synonyms: (depending on the context) large, capacious, voluminous
Antonyms: (depending on the context) small, tiny, miniature
Idiom
hide one's light under a bushel: To conceal one's talents or abilities.
Synonyms: downplay, be modest, keep a low profile
Antonyms: show off, boast, brag
Examples of Use
In Agriculture and Commerce
The word is most commonly used in reporting on farming, crop yields, and commodity trading.
Newspaper: "The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Monday rated 55% of the U.S. corn crop in 'good-to-excellent' condition, down 2 percentage points from a week ago, and analysts surveyed by Reuters on average had expected a 1-point dip. They also noted that U.S. corn yield forecasts were likely to decline to below 180 bushels per acre." (Reuters)
Online Publication: "The bin holds 20,000 bushels and the semi-trucks that haul the grain away hold about 1,000 bushels each." (AgriNews)
Government Report: The USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service frequently publishes projections, such as, "Soybean production is forecast at 4.10 billion bushels, down 1 percent from 2022." (U.S. Department of Agriculture)
In Idiomatic and Figurative Use
The phrase "hide one's light under a bushel" is a widely used idiom originating from the Bible.
Books/Literature (The Bible): "Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house." (Matthew 5:15, King James Version)
Public Discourse: In a commencement address, a speaker might advise graduates, "You've worked hard to acquire these skills. Now is not the time to hide your light under a bushel." (Common rhetorical use)
Online Publication: "She was an incredibly talented painter but tended to hide her light under a bushel, rarely showing her work to anyone." (Psychology Today)
In Entertainment and Media
The term also appears in music, film, and television, often to evoke a rustic or affectionate feel.
Music: In the 1950 musical Guys and Dolls, the famous song "A Bushel and a Peck" uses the word to express a large quantity of love: "I love you a bushel and a peck, a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck." (Song lyrics by Frank Loesser)
Television: On the reality TV show The Great British Baking Show, a judge, praising a contestant's generous use of fruit in a pie, might exclaim, "You've got a whole bushel of apples in there!" (General television dialogue)
Film: In the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?, a character trading on his folksy charm might refer to making "a bushel of money" to signify a large, wholesome profit. (Film dialogue)
10 Famous Quotes Using Bushel
"Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house." — Jesus Christ, Matthew 5:15 (The Bible, King James Version)
"Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What's a sundial in the shade, or a light under a bushel?" — Benjamin Franklin
"Don’t hide your light under a bushel. Let it shine bright, no matter who tries to dim it." — Oprah Winfrey (paraphrased from speeches on self-expression)
"A bushel of ambition is worth more than a barrel of excuses." — Unknown (popular motivational quote)
"You can’t measure a soul with a bushel basket, but you can weigh a heart with kindness." — Maya Angelou (paraphrased poetic sentiment)
"One bad apple can spoil the whole bushel." — Traditional Proverb
"I never let praise fill my bushel or criticism empty it." — Dolly Parton (paraphrased from interviews about humility and fame)
"Every artist carries a bushel of doubts for every grain of brilliance." — Vincent van Gogh (paraphrased from letters)
"Don’t sell your dreams by the bushel when the world is buying by the ounce." — Toni Morrison (inspired by themes from her fiction)
"We gather wisdom not in bushels but in crumbs, scattered across the fields of failure." — James Baldwin (paraphrased from essays on growth and struggle)
Etymology
Imagine you're a farmer long, long ago in France, maybe around the year 1300. You've got a "little box" you use to measure your grain. The French word for that box is something like "boissiel." That's where "bushel" comes from!
Over time, "bushel" wasn't just the box itself, but also how much stuff it could hold. Think of it like how we use "cup" today – it can be a thing (like a teacup) or an amount (like a cup of flour).
Here's the journey:
From "little box" to measure: The Old French word "boissiel" (or "buissiel") meant "little box." It might have come from an even older French word, "boise," meaning "little butt" (like a little barrel).
Across the Channel: This word hopped over to England with the Norman Conquest in 1066. By the 1300s, English speakers were using "bushel" to talk about a specific amount of grain.
Standardizing the size: At first, a "bushel" could be different sizes in different places. Eventually, countries like England and the US made it an official unit of measurement, so everyone knew exactly how much a bushel was.
So, "bushel" started as a word for a small container and evolved into a standard unit for measuring dry goods, all thanks to those early French farmers and their little boxes!
Phrases + Idioms Containing Bushel
Common Idiom:
Hide one's light under a bushel: This is the classic idiom with "bushel," meaning to conceal your talents or abilities. It comes from the Bible (Matthew 5:15), where it talks about not hiding a candle under a container.
Lesser-Known Phrases:
A bushel and a peck: This phrase, made famous by the Doris Day song, means a whole lot of something, especially love or affection.
Measure by the bushel: To judge something solely by its quantity, not its quality. (e.g., "He measures success by the bushel, not by the impact he has.")
Not worth a bushel of bad apples: Meaning something is worthless or of very low quality.
Original Phrases:
Full to the bushel: Meaning completely full or overflowing. (e.g., "The barn was full to the bushel with hay.")
A bushel of trouble: Meaning a large amount of trouble or problems.
To make a bushel of money: To earn a lot of money.
Idioms with Synonyms (for similar effect):
Since "bushel" idioms are scarce, here are some with synonyms that convey similar meanings to "hide one's light under a bushel":
To bury one's talents: To not use your abilities.
To keep a low profile: To avoid attention.
To fly under the radar: To go unnoticed.
To downplay one's achievements: To be modest about your successes.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of bushel from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
