BUN - The Law Mind Legal Dictionary

BUNAuthored

The Law Mind • 375 words

Definition

BUN does not appear as a defined legal term in the historical or modern legal lexicon. The entry in Burrill's Law Dictionary attributed to this term is the result of a textual fragment from an adjacent entry — specifically, a mid-passage excerpt from the definition of BROKER — and does not represent a standalone legal term or concept.

Researchers encountering "BUN" as a search result or index reference in historical legal dictionaries should treat it as a digitization or pagination artifact rather than a term of art.

Common Language

Modern common usage (Wiktionary): A small sweetened or plain bread roll; a roll of hair worn at the back of the head; colloquially, a drunken spree or a novice.

Historical common usage (Webster's 1913): A small cake or sweet bread roll; also applied to the tail of a rabbit.

BUN carries no legal meaning that diverges from its common meaning, because it carries no legal meaning at all. The common-language definitions are noted here solely to confirm that none of the ordinary senses of the word correspond to a legal term of art.

Why It Matters in Research

The fragment appearing under this term in Burrill's Law Dictionary belongs to the BROKER entry and concerns the etymology of that word, including a reference to 16 Mees. & W. 174 (a Meeson and Welsby Exchequer report) and the possible derivation of "broker" from the Saxon broc, meaning misfortune. Researchers working with digitized or indexed versions of Burrill should be aware that page-boundary artifacts can cause mid-definition text to surface under incorrect headwords. If you have arrived at this entry through a corpus search, redirect your research to BROKER.

Historical Dictionary Support

Burrill's Law Dictionary contains no entry for BUN as a legal term. The text fragment catalogued here is excerpted from the BROKER definition and addresses the disputed etymology of that term, noting both the Saxon derivation theory and a relevant English Exchequer decision. No historical legal dictionary in the Law Mind corpus defines BUN as a term of legal significance.

BUNmain

Burrill's Law Dictionary • 1867

(230) brokers recognized at the present day; although in a late case in England, the Court of Exchequer seemed disposed to abide by the ancient interpretation of the term. 16 Mees. & W. 174. The etymology of the term broker has been variously given. By some it has been derived from the Saxon broc, misfortune, as denoting a broken trader; the occupation being formerly confined, it is said, to unfortunate persons of that description. Tomlins. According to others, it is formed from the French broieur, a grinder or breaker into small pieces, a broker being one who beats, or draws a bargain into particulars. Termes de la Ley. Cowell. The Law Latin form abrocator, however, seems to point distinctly to the Sax. abræcan, (to break), as the true root, which, in the old word abbrochment (q. v.) or abroachment, had the sense of breaking up goods, or selling at retail. A broker, therefore, would scem to have originally signified a retailer, and hence we find the old word auctionarius (q. v.) used in both these senses.

bunnoun

Wiktionary (English) • 2026

Wiktionary contributors • CC BY-SA 4.0 • via Kaikki
Extracted and formatted for display by Law Mind. Source link opens the current Wiktionary page and its contributor history; it is not a frozen copy of this extract.

Senses referring to baked goods. | A small bread roll that is sweetened or spiced. | Senses referring to baked goods. | A bread roll that is served with a savoury filling such as a hamburger or hot dog. | Senses referring to baked goods. | Any bread roll. | Senses referring to baked goods. | A cupcake. | A roll of hair worn at the back of the head. | A drunken spree. | A newbie. | A young girl or woman. | A buttock. | The vagina.