Huls

Huls is a term with several related but distinct meanings in Dutch and English-language contexts. In Dutch, huls denotes the husk or outer shell of seeds and fruits. In agriculture and food processing, the husk must often be removed from kernels during milling or dehulling. The husk influences milling yield, processing characteristics, and subsequent uses of crop byproducts. For example, rice husk and barley hulls are routinely handled as byproducts; they can be used as fuel, in soil amendments, or in animal bedding, depending on quality and processing.

As a noun and surname, Huls is found as a Dutch family name and may also occur as a place name in Dutch-speaking regions. The etymology is linked to historical associations with threshing, fields, or shell-like coverings, though exact origins vary by family line.

In English, the standard terms are hulls or hull for the outer shell of a seed or fruit (and hull for the main body of a ship). The Dutch huls is etymologically cognate with these terms but is not commonly used in English outside direct Dutch context.