hulk

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a large abandoned ship, wreck, or shell

   The old hulk rested half sunk beside the quay.

2. 2
   noun

   a very large, heavy person or thing

   A dark hulk blocked the doorway.

3. 3
   verb

   to loom large and heavy

   The warehouse hulked over the narrow street.

Simplified etymology

Hulk originally meant a large cargo or transport ship. It is probably Mediterranean in origin and related to Greek holkas, “cargo ship.” By the late 17th century it could mean an old, stripped, permanently moored vessel, while the use for a large, clumsy person had appeared by the late Middle Ages.

From Middle English hulk, hulke, reinforced by Middle Dutch and Middle Low German hulk ("large ship"), with older Germanic connections to hollow or bulky forms.

Topics

External links

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• Cambridge Dictionary
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