Etymology

From Persian بلبل, from Arabic بلبل ‎(“nightingale, bulbul”).

Cognate with Uzbek bulbul, Turkish bülbül ‎(“nightingale”), etc.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [bɯ̞ɫ.ˈbɯ̞ɫ]
• Hyphenation: был‧был