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n. 1. Size, mass, or volume, especially when very large. 2. a. A distinct mass or portion of matter, especially a large one: the dark bulk of buildings against the sky. b. 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. Phrasal Verb: Being large in mass, quantity, or volume: a bulk buy; a bulk mailing. bulk up Idiom: To gain weight by gaining muscle: dietary supplements that helped the weightlifters bulk up. 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 the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
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