Nearby Words

bulking

[buhlk] Origin

bulk

1[buhlk]
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, especially in relation to weight.
EXPAND
6.
the body of a living creature.
COLLAPSE
adjective
8.
being or traded in bulk: bulk grain.

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Bulking is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
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, especially 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.
15.
bulk up, to increase the bulk of, especially by increasing the thickness of: Adding four chapters will bulk up the book.
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 Middle English bolke heap, cargo, hold < Old Norse bulki cargo, ship's hold


1. See size1.


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]. EXPANDBoth 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

COLLAPSE
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
bulking (ˈbʌlkɪŋ)
 
n
1.  the expansion of excavated material to a volume greater than that of the excavation from which it came
2.  an increase in the volume of dry sand when its moisture content is increased

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

bulk
mid-15c., from O.N. bulki "a heap, ship's cargo," thus "goods loaded loose," perhaps lit. "rolled-up load," from P.Gmc. *bul-, from PIE *bhl-, from base *bhel- (2) "to blow, swell" (see bole). Meaning extended by confusion with obsolete bouk "belly" (from O.E. buc, from P.Gmc.
EXPAND
*bukaz, from PIE root meaning "to swell"), which led to sense of "size," first attested mid-15c.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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