bulk

bulk
\ \ [14] Formally, bulk comes from Old Norse búlki, which meant ‘cargo’ or ‘heap’: the original connotation of the English word in this sense was thus of goods loaded loose, in heaps, rather than neatly packed up. That is the source of the phrase in bulk. However, a certain similarity in form and meaning to the English word boukbelly’ (from Old English būc, and ultimately a descendant of West and North Germanic *būkaz) led to the two being confused, so that bulk was used for ‘belly’, or more generally ‘body’. Modern connotations of ‘great size’ seem to be a blend of these two.
\ \ The bulk of bulkhead [15] is a different word; it may come from Old Norse bálkrpartition’.

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • bulk — 1 / bəlk/ n: a large mass in bulk 1: not divided into parts or packaged in separate units 2: in large quantities bulk 2 adj 1: being in bulk bulk shipment of wheat …   Law dictionary

  • bulk — [bʌlk] noun 1. the bulk of something the main or largest part of something: • The change in the tax system will affect the bulk of the population. • The bulk of the meetings would be held in Washington. 2. COMMERCE if you buy, sell, or make… …   Financial and business terms

  • Bulk — (b[u^]lk), n. [OE. bulke, bolke, heap; cf. Dan. bulk lump, clod, OSw. bolk crowd, mass, Icel. b?lkast to be bulky. Cf. {Boll}, n., {Bile} a boil, {Bulge}, n.] 1. Magnitude of material substance; dimensions; mass; size; as, an ox or ship of great… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Bulk — can refer to:*Bulk mail *Bulk purchasing *Bulk liquids *Bulk modulus *Bulk material handling *Bulk British professional wrestler * Bulk and Skull, a pair of characters in the Power Rangers universe. * The bulk in brane cosmology is a hypothetical …   Wikipedia

  • bulk — n Bulk, mass, volume mean a body of usually material substance that constitutes a thing or unit. Bulk is applied mainly to what is or appears to be inordinately large or heavy {the bulk of ancient minster Wordsworth} and often more or less… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • bulk — bulk1 [bulk] n. [ME, heap, cargo < ON bulki, a heap, ship s cargo; prob. < IE base * bhel : see BALL1] 1. size, mass, or volume, esp. if great 2. the main mass or body of something; largest part or portion [the bulk of one s fortune] 3.… …   English World dictionary

  • Bülk — bezeichnet im heutigen Gebiet der Gemeinden Strande, Dänischenhagen und Schwedeneck im Dänischen Wohld, Kreis Rendsburg Eckernförde, Bundesland Schleswig Holstein: das Adlige Gut Bülk, erstmals urkundlich belegt 1304, aufgeteilt 1739 das Adlige… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • bulk — as a noun preceded by the and denoting magnitude or size, is correctly used with of and a singular noun, as in the bulk of the book / the bulk of his land / the bulk of the clergy. It should not be used in this way with ordinary plural nouns: ☒ • …   Modern English usage

  • bulk — bulk; bulk·head·ed; bulk·i·ly; bulk·i·ness; bulk·head; …   English syllables

  • bulk´i|ly — bulk|y «BUHL kee», adjective, bulk|i|er, bulk|i|est. 1. taking up much space; large: »Bulky shipments are often sent in freight cars. SYNONYM(S …   Useful english dictionary

  • bulk|y — «BUHL kee», adjective, bulk|i|er, bulk|i|est. 1. taking up much space; large: »Bulky shipments are often sent in freight cars. SYNONYM(S …   Useful english dictionary

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