Mid 17th century (denoting an official warrant in some European countries): from French, from Italian bullettino, diminutive of bulletta 'passport', diminutive of bulla 'seal, bull'.

• The word bulletin derives from Italian bulletta meaning ‘official warrant or certificate’—something like a passport today. The root is the Italian and medieval Latin word bulla ‘seal, sealed document’, the source of bill meaning ‘written statement of charges’ and of bull meaning ‘papal edict’. The original Latin meaning of bulla was ‘bubble’, and this is the basis of bowl (Old English) in the sense ‘ball’ and ultimately ‘basin’ and of budge (late 16th century) which comes via French bouger ‘to stir’, from Latin bullire ‘boil, bubble’, bullet (early 16th century) originally a small ball, bullion (Middle English) from the idea of bubbling metal, and ebullient (late 16th century) ‘bubbling’.