пуля

Inherited from Middle Russian пуля (pulja, “bullet, arquebus projectile”), att. since 1620s. As suggested by Chernykh and proven by Zoltan, a back-formation from пулька (pulʹka, “bullet; projectile in general”) (att. 1580s), itself a dissimilated borrowing from Old Ruthenian кулька (kulʹka) (att. 1550s), from Middle Polish kulka, from Old Polish kulka (att. 1497), from kula (att. 1461), from Middle High German kūle, a rare variant of kugele, itself of uncertain origin.

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пу́ля • (púlja) f inan (genitive пу́ли, nominative plural пу́ли, genitive plural пуль, relational adjective пулево́й)

1. (strictly) bullet (projectile)
   • 2008, “Бе́лый пла́щик (Bélyj pláščik) [White Robe]”, performed by t.A.T.u.:

     Пу́ля в се́рдце, мозг на две́рцу
     Нимб и кры́лья
     Одева́ем бе́лый пла́щик

     Púlja v sérdce, mozg na dvércu
     Nimb i krýlʹja
     Odevájem bélyj pláščik

     Bullet in the heart, brain on the wall
     Halo and wings
     We put on a white robe

2. (loosely) cartridge (assembled package of bullet, primer and casing)

   Synonym: патро́н (patrón)

• пулемёт (pulemjót)
• пуля́ть (puljátʹ)

• → Yakut: буулдьа (buulja)