Bugle Family History

From Middle English (Anglo-Norman French) bugle ‘wild ox or bull’, an undomesticated animal reputed for its fierceness and for the size of its horns, which were prized as drinking vessels and as instruments for blowing in battle or when hunting.

The definite article in the medieval examples imply that the name was usually given to men with the physique or temperament of the animal.

However, bugle could also denote the horn of the ox, so other interpretations are possible.

Compare Bugler.