bulk1

[buhlk] /bʌlk/
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.
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, 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.
Verb phrases
15.
bulk up, to increase the bulk of, especially by increasing the thickness of:
Adding four chapters will bulk up the book.
Idioms
16.
in bulk,
  1. unpackaged:
    Fresh orange juice is shipped from Florida in bulk.
  2. 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
Synonym Study
1. See size1.
Pronunciation note
Bulk and bulge most often are pronounced with the vowel
[uh] /ʌ/ (Show IPA) of buck. In South Midland and Southern U.S. the [oo] /ʊ/ of book and bull commonly occurs among all speakers. Standard British speech has only [uh] /ʌ/ . 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.
British Dictionary definitions for in bulk

bulk

/bʌlk/
noun
1.
volume, size, or magnitude, esp when great
2.
the main part: the bulk of the work is repetitious
3.
a large body, esp of a person: he eased his bulk out of the chair
4.
the part of food which passes unabsorbed through the digestive system: he eased his bulk out of the chair
5.
unpackaged cargo or goods
6.
a ship's cargo or hold
7.
(printing)
  1. the thickness of a number of sheets of paper or cardboard
  2. the thickness of a book excluding its covers
8.
(pl) copies of newspapers sold in bulk at a discounted price to hotels, airlines, etc which issue them free to their customers
9.
in bulk
  1. in large quantities
  2. (of a cargo, etc) unpackaged
verb
10.
to cohere or cause to cohere in a mass
11.
to place, hold, or transport (several cargoes of goods) in bulk
12.
bulk large, to be or seem important or prominent: the problem bulked large in his mind
Usage note
The use of a plural noun after bulk was formerly considered incorrect, but is now acceptable
Word Origin
C15: from Old Norse bulki cargo
Word Origin and History for in bulk

bulk

n.

mid-15c., "a heap," earlier "ship's cargo" (mid-14c.), from a Scandinavian source akin to Old Norse bulki "a heap; ship's cargo," thus "goods loaded loose" (perhaps literally "rolled-up load"), from Proto-Germanic *bul-, from PIE root *bhel- (2) "to blow, inflate, swell" (see bole).

Meaning extended by confusion with obsolete bouk "belly" (from Old English buc "body, belly," from Proto-Germanic *bukaz; see bucket), which led to sense of "size," first attested mid-15c.

v.

"swell, become more massive," 1550s (usually with up), from bulk (n.). Related: Bulked; bulking.

Idioms and Phrases with in bulk

in bulk

.
Unpackaged, loose, as in It's cheaper to buy rice in bulk. [ Late 1600s ]
.
In large amounts or volume, as in The ship was carrying wheat in bulk. [ Mid-1700s ]

bulk

see: in bulk