bulk

Definitions


[bʌlk], (Noun)

Definitions:
- the mass or size of something large
(e.g: residents jump up and down on their rubbish to reduce its bulk)

- the greater part of something
(e.g: the bulk of the traffic had passed)


Phrases:
- bulk large
- in bulk

Origin:
Middle English: the senses ‘cargo as a whole’ and ‘heap, large quantity’ (the earliest recorded) are probably from Old Norse búlki ‘cargo’; other senses arose perhaps by alteration of obsolete bouk ‘belly, body’


[bʌlk], (Verb)

Definitions:
- treat (a product) so that its quantity appears greater than it is
(e.g: traders were bulking up their flour with chalk)

- combine (shares or commodities for sale)
(e.g: your shares will be bulked with others and sold at the best prices available)


Phrases:
- bulk large
- in bulk

Origin:
Middle English: the senses ‘cargo as a whole’ and ‘heap, large quantity’ (the earliest recorded) are probably from Old Norse búlki ‘cargo’; other senses arose perhaps by alteration of obsolete bouk ‘belly, body’




definition by Oxford Dictionaries