bulk

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. soft, bulky matter of a kind that passes through the intestines without being absorbed and aids in elimination

vi.

1. to form into a mass

2. to increase in size, importance, etc.

3. to have size or importance [to bulk large in the mind]

vt.

1. to make (something) form into a mass

2. to make bulge; stuff

3. to give greater bulk, or size, to

adj.

1. total; aggregate

2. not put up in individual packages

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in bulk

1. not put up in individual packages

2. in large amounts; in great volume

SYN.- BULK¹, MASS, and VOLUME all refer to a quantity of matter or collection of units forming a body or whole, BULK¹ implying a body of great size, weight, or numbers [the lumbering bulk of a hippopotamus, the bulk of humanity ], MASS, an aggregate, multitude, or expanse forming a cohesive, unified, or solid body [an egg-shaped mass, a mass of color, the mass of workers ], and VOLUME, a moving or flowing mass, often of a fluctuating nature [volumes of smoke, the volume of production ]

bulk² [bulk]

n.

[ME balk < ON balkr, partition, wall; akin to BALK]

Archaic a projecting framework or stall built as the front of a shop