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In bulk

 - 6 dictionary results
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bulk

1  [buhlk]
Use In bulk in a Sentence
–noun
1. magnitude in three dimensions: a ship of great bulk.
2. the greater part; main mass or body: The bulk of the debt was paid.
3. goods or cargo not in packages or boxes, usually transported in large volume, as grain, coal, or petroleum.
4. fiber (def. 9).
5. (of paper, cardboard, yarn, etc.) thickness, esp. in relation to weight.
6. the body of a living creature.
7. bulk mail.
–adjective
8. being or traded in bulk: bulk grain.
–verb (used without object)
9. to increase in size; expand; swell.
10. to be of or give the appearance of great weight, size, or importance: The problem bulks large in his mind.
11. (of paper, cardboard, yarn, etc.) to be of or to acquire a specific thickness, esp. in relation to weight.
12. to gather, form, or mix into a cohesive or uniform mass.
–verb (used with object)
13. to cause to swell, grow, or increase in weight or thickness.
14. to gather, bring together, or mix.
—Verb phrase
15. bulk up, to increase the bulk of, esp. by increasing the thickness of: Adding four chapters will bulk up the book.
—Idiom
16. in bulk,
a. unpackaged: Fresh orange juice is shipped from Florida in bulk.
b. in large quantities: Those who buy in bulk receive a discount.
Origin:
1400–50; late ME bolke heap, cargo, hold < ON bulki cargo, ship's hold

Synonyms:
1. See size 1 .

Pronunciation note:
Bulk and bulge most often are pronounced with the vowel [uh] of buck. In South Midland and Southern U.S. the [oo] of book and bull commonly occurs among all speakers. Standard British speech has only [uh]. Both types exist in British regional speech, and both were brought to the colonies, where each came to predominate in a different area and was carried west by migration.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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bulk   (bŭlk)   
n.  

  1. Size, mass, or volume, especially when very large.

    1. A distinct mass or portion of matter, especially a large one: the dark bulk of buildings against the sky.

    2. The body of a human, especially when large or muscular.

  3. The major portion or greater part: "The great bulk of necessary work can never be anything but painful" (Bertrand Russell).

  4. See fiber.

  5. Thickness of paper or cardboard in relation to weight.

  6. A ship's cargo.

v.   bulked, bulk·ing, bulks

v.   intr.

  1. To be or appear to be massive in terms of size, volume, or importance; loom: Safety considerations bulked large during development of the new spacecraft.

  2. To grow or increase in size or importance.

  3. To cohere or form a mass: Certain paper bulks well.

v.   tr.

  1. To cause to swell or expand.

  2. To cause to cohere or form a mass.

adj.  Being large in mass, quantity, or volume: a bulk buy; a bulk mailing.
Phrasal Verb(s):
bulk upTo gain weight by gaining muscle: dietary supplements that helped the weightlifters bulk up.

Idiom(s):
in bulk

  1. Unpackaged; loose.

  2. In large numbers, amounts, or volume.


[Middle English, perhaps partly alteration of bouk, belly, trunk of the body (from Old English būc) and partly from Old Norse bulki, cargo, heap; see bhel-2 in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

bulk 
c.1440, from O.N. bulki "a heap, ship's cargo," thus "goods loaded loose," perhaps lit. "rolled-up load," from P.Gmc. *bul-, from PIE *bhel- "to blow, swell." Meaning extended by confusion with obs. bouk "belly" (from O.E. buc, from P.Gmc. *bukaz, from PIE root meaning "to swell"), which led to sense of "size," first attested c.1449. Bulkhead (1496), however, is from O.N. balkr "beam, balk."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: bulk
Function: adjective
1 : being in bulk <bulk shipment of wheat> <bulk foods>
2 : of or relating to materials in bulk <bulk buyer>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: bulk
Pronunciation: 'b&lk
Function: noun
: material (as indigestible fibrous residues of food) that forms a mass in the intestine;especially : FIBER 2
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Idioms & Phrases

in bulk

  1. Unpackaged, loose, as in It's cheaper to buy rice in bulk. [Late 1600s]

  2. In large amounts or volume, as in The ship was carrying wheat in bulk. [Mid-1700s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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