Bulk
Definition
Bulk refers to the size, mass, or volume of something, especially when it is large. It can also describe a large quantity of items sold or transported together, often in unprocessed or unpackaged form.
Parts of Speech
- Noun (mass or volume; a large quantity)
- Verb (to build up or increase in size or mass, often used as “bulk up”)
Pronunciation
American English
- IPA Pronunciation: /bʌlk/
- Respelling: BULK
British English
- IPA Pronunciation: /bʌlk/
- Respelling: BULK
Etymology
The word "bulk" originates from the Old Norse "bulki," meaning "cargo" or "freight." It was introduced into Middle English to describe size or volume, especially in terms of large shipments or massive objects.
Derivatives
- Bulkiness (noun)
- Bulky (adjective)
- Bulked (verb)
- Bulking (verb)
- Bulk-buy (verb)
Synonyms
- Mass
- Volume
- Quantity
Antonyms
- Individual
- Single
- Portion
Usage
The term "bulk" is frequently used in retail, shipping, and bodybuilding contexts. For example, "The warehouse stores goods in bulk to reduce costs," or "Athletes often bulk up to increase muscle mass." Bulk purchasing, where products are bought in large quantities, is common for cost savings.
Related Terms
- Wholesale: The sale of goods in large quantities for resale by others.
- Freight: Goods transported in bulk by truck, train, ship, or aircraft.
- Volume: The amount of space that a substance or object occupies.
Detailed Definitions
Noun
- The mass, volume, or size of something: Refers to the physical largeness or mass of an item or substance.
- Example: "The bulk of the supplies filled the entire room."
- A large quantity of items: Describes a large amount of goods or materials sold or stored together, usually unprocessed or unpackaged.
- Example: "Buying in bulk can lead to significant savings."
Verb
- To increase in size or mass: Often used in physical training to describe the process of building muscle.
- Example: "The athlete bulked up for the upcoming competition."
bulk
Mandarin Chinese 🇨🇳
"Bulk" as in "large amount"
- Traditional: 大量 (dàliàng)
- IPA Pronunciation: /tɑː˥˩ ljɑːŋ˥˥/
- English Respelling: Dah-lyahng
"Bulk" as in "bulk purchase"
- Traditional: 散裝 (sǎnzhuāng)
- IPA Pronunciation: /san˨˩˦ ʈʂwaŋ˥/
- English Respelling: San-jwahng
Hindi 🇮🇳
"Bulk" as in "large amount"
- Devanagari: थोक (thok)
- IPA Pronunciation: /t̪ʰoːk/
- English Respelling: Thohk
"Bulk" as in "bulk purchase"
- Devanagari: बड़े पैमाने पर (baṛe paimāne par)
- IPA Pronunciation: /bəɽeː pɛːmaːnɛː pər/
- English Respelling: Buh-ray pay-ma-nay par
Spanish 🇪🇸
"Bulk" as in "large amount"
- Spanish: cantidad
- IPA Pronunciation: /kan'tiðað/
- English Respelling: kan-tee-dahth
"Bulk" as in "bulk purchase"
- Spanish: al por mayor
- IPA Pronunciation: /al poɾ ma'ʝoɾ/
- English Respelling: al por mah-yor
French 🇫🇷
"Bulk" as in "large amount"
- French: en vrac
- IPA Pronunciation: /ɑ̃ vʁak/
- English Respelling: an vrak
"Bulk" as in "bulk purchase"
- French: en gros
- IPA Pronunciation: /ɑ̃ gʁo/
- English Respelling: an gro
Modern Standard Arabic 🇸🇦
"Bulk" as in "large amount"
- Arabic: الكمية الكبيرة (al-kamiah al-kabirah)
- IPA Pronunciation: /al kaˈmija al kaˈbiːra/
- English Respelling: al ka-mee-ah al ka-bee-rah
"Bulk" as in "bulk purchase"
- Arabic: بالجملة (bi-aljumlat)
- IPA Pronunciation: /bi ald͡ʒumlæt/
- English Respelling: bee al-joom-lat
Bengali 🇧🇩
"Bulk" as in "large amount"
- Bengali: গড় (goṛ)
- IPA Pronunciation: /ɡɔɽ/
- English Respelling: gor
"Bulk" as in "bulk purchase"
- Bengali: বুল্ক (bulka)
- IPA Pronunciation: /bulka/
- English Respelling: bulka
Russian 🇷🇺
"Bulk" as in "large amount"
- Russian: объем (obyem)
- IPA Pronunciation: /ɐˈbʲjɛm/
- English Respelling: ob-yem
"Bulk" as in "bulk purchase"
- Russian: оптовая закупка (optovaya zakupka)
- IPA Pronunciation: /ɐpˈto.və.jə zɐˈkup.kə/
- English Respelling: op-tov-aya za-kup-ka
Portuguese 🇵🇹
"Bulk" as in "large amount"
- Portuguese: em grande quantidade
- IPA Pronunciation: /ẽj ˈɡɾɐ̃dʒ kwɐ̃ˈtidadʒ/
- English Respelling: eng granj kwantidade
"Bulk" as in "bulk purchase"
- Portuguese: em atacado
- IPA Pronunciation: /ẽj ɐ.tɐˈka.du/
- English Respelling: eng ata-kado
Indonesian 🇮🇩
"Bulk" as in "large amount"
- Indonesian: jumlah besar
- IPA Pronunciation: /ˈdʒumlah ˈbəsar/
- English Respelling: joo-mah besar
"Bulk" as in "bulk purchase"
- Indonesian: pembelian massal
- IPA Pronunciation: /pəmbə'lian 'masal/
- English Respelling: pem-bee-lian ma-sal
German 🇩🇪
"Bulk" as in "large amount"
- German: Großmengen
- IPA Pronunciation: /ˈɡʁoːsˌmɛŋən/
- English Respelling: gross-meng-en
"Bulk" as in "bulk purchase"
- German: Großeinkauf
- IPA Pronunciation: /ˈɡʁoːsˌʔaɪ̯nkaʊ̯f/
- English Respelling: gross-eyn-kauf
Japanese 🇯🇵
"Bulk" as in "large amount"
- Japanese: 大量 (tairyou)
- IPA Pronunciation: /taiɾjoː/
- English Respelling: ta-i-ryo
"Bulk" as in "bulk purchase"
- Japanese: まとめ買い (matomekai)
- IPA Pronunciation: /mato̞meka̠i/
- English Respelling: ma-to-me-kai
Vietnamese 🇻🇳
"Bulk" as in "large amount"
- Vietnamese: số lượng lớn
- IPA Pronunciation: /so˧˩ lu'oŋ˧˥ lɔ˧˧/
- English Respelling: soh lu-ong lon
"Bulk" as in "bulk purchase"
- Vietnamese: mua sỉ
- IPA Pronunciation: /muə˧˥ si˧˧/
- English Respelling: mua see
Korean 🇰🇷
"Bulk" as in "large amount"
- Korean: 대량 (daeryang)
- IPA Pronunciation: /tɛːɾjaŋ/
- English Respelling: dae-ryang
"Bulk" as in "bulk purchase"
- Korean: 도매 (domae)
- IPA Pronunciation: /doːme/
- English Respelling: doh-mae
Turkish 🇹🇷
"Bulk" as in "large amount"
- Turkish: büyük miktar
- IPA Pronunciation: /byjyk miχtaɾ/
- English Respelling: byook miktarr
"Bulk" as in "bulk purchase"
- Turkish: toptan alım
- IPA Pronunciation: /toptan a'ɫɯm/
- English Respelling: top-tan a-luhm
Urdu 🇵🇰
"Bulk" as in "large amount"
- Urdu: بلک (bulk)
- IPA Pronunciation: /bʊlk/
- English Respelling: bulk
"Bulk" as in "bulk purchase"
- Urdu: بڑی تعداد میں خرید (baṛī tadād meṁ kharīd)
- IPA Pronunciation: /bəɽiː t̪əd̪aːd̪ meːŋ χəriːd̪/
- English Respelling: ba-ree ta-daad me kha-ree-d
