bunch

bunch
\ \ [14] Bunch originally meant ‘swelling’ (the first text recorded as containing the word, the Middle English poem Body and Soul 1325, speaks of ragged folk ‘with broad bunches on their back’), but we have no real clues as to its source. Perhaps, like bump, it was ultimately imitative of the sound of hitting something, the sense ‘swelling’ being the result of the blows.
\ \ The first hints of the modern sense ‘cluster, collection’ come in the mid-15th century in the phrase bunch of straw, although how this derived from ‘swelling’ is not clear.

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • bunch´er — bunch «buhnch», noun, verb. –n. 1. a group of things of the same kind growing fastened, placed, or thought of together: »a bunch of grapes, a bunch of flowers, a bunch of sheep. SYNONYM(S): batch, cluster. See syn. under bundle. (Cf. ↑bundle) 2.… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Bunch — may refer to: * BUNCH, competitors in computer manufacturing * The Bunch, a 1972 folk rock group * Bunch grass, any grass of the Poaceae family * Bunch, Oklahoma, a village in the state of Oklahoma in the United States of America * Chris Bunch,… …   Wikipedia

  • Bunch — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Chris Bunch (1943–2005), US amerikanischer Autor David R. Bunch (1925–2000), US amerikanischer Science Fiction Autor John Bunch (1921–2010), US amerikanischer Jazz Pianist Robert Bunch (1820–1881),… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • BUNCH — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda BUNCH, acrónimo de Burroughs, UNIVAC, NCR, Control Data y Honeywell, era el término con el que se conocía en los años 1960 al grupo de empresas capaces de competir con el claro e indiscutible monopolio de IBM en el… …   Wikipedia Español

  • bunch — /bunch/, n. 1. a connected group; cluster: a bunch of grapes. 2. a group of things: a bunch of papers. 3. Informal. a group of people: They re a fine bunch of students. 4. a knob; lump; protuberance. v.t. 5. to group together; make a bunch of.… …   Universalium

  • bunch — as a collective noun in abstract senses (a bunch of people / a bunch of questions) varies widely in its degree of informality from simple metaphor (A bunch of weary runners crossed the line at last) to near slang, often affected by the word it… …   Modern English usage

  • bunch — [bunch] n. [ME bonche, bundle, hump < OFr (Walloon) bouge < Fl boudje, dim. of boud, bundle] 1. a cluster or tuft of things growing together [a bunch of grapes] 2. a collection of things of the same kind fastened or grouped together, or… …   English World dictionary

  • bunch´i|ly — bunch|y «BUHN chee», adjective, bunch|i|er, bunch|i|est. 1. having bunches or clusters. 2. growing in bunches. 3. bulging or protuberant. – …   Useful english dictionary

  • bunch|y — «BUHN chee», adjective, bunch|i|er, bunch|i|est. 1. having bunches or clusters. 2. growing in bunches. 3. bulging or protuberant. – …   Useful english dictionary

  • Bunch — (b[u^]nch; 224), n. [Akin to OSw. & Dan. bunke heap, Icel. bunki heap, pile, bunga tumor, protuberance; cf. W. pwng cluster. Cf. {Bunk}.] 1. A protuberance; a hunch; a knob or lump; a hump. [1913 Webster] They will carry . . . their treasures… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • bunch — bunch; bunch·ber·ry; bunch·er; bunch·i·ly; …   English syllables

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