• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / How Did the Bulldozer Get its Name, What Does it Mean, and How Did the Word Originate?

How Did the Bulldozer Get its Name, What Does it Mean, and How Did the Word Originate?

June 22, 2020 by Karen Hill

“Bulldozer” is a metaphor that originated in the Deep South during Reconstruction.

A “bull-dose” was a dose of the bullwhip and was used by American terrorist groups to inhibit freed black slaves from using their new mandate to vote.

In 1925, when a machine appeared that could change everything in its path through sheer force, it took the name bulldozer from the bullwhip and changed the meaning of the word.

We call a powerful earth-moving tractor a “bulldozer”.

Related Facts

  • Where does the word “bulldozer” originate and What does bulldozer mean?
  • The Best 20 Inventions Ever Invented
  • History of Typewriters
  • Top 25 Inventions That Changed the World
  • Top 25 Inventions That Changed Our Lives Forever
  • Why Is There a Simultaneous High Tide On Both Sides of the Earth and What Causes the Tide Generating Force?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where Did the Word “Fluff” Come From and What Does the Term “Shoddy” Mean?
Next Post: Where Did the Word “Corny” for a Bad Joke Come From and What Did it Mean Originally? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy