Bulky

How to spell bulky

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce bulky

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does bulky mean?

1. adjectiveLarge and awkward to carry, store, or move because of its size or volume.

Bulky in a sentence

• The bulky parcel barely fit through the front door.

• She packed light because bulky coats take up too much suitcase space.

Where does bulky come from?

Language of origin: Old Norse

This word is built on the noun 'bulk', which came into English from the Old Norse 'bulki', a word that meant the cargo or heaped freight carried in the hold of a ship. Norse traders and settlers brought the term to England, and over time 'bulk' broadened from cargo specifically to any large mass or volume of something. The adjective 'bulky' was formed within English by adding the ordinary suffix '-y', which turns a noun into an adjective meaning 'full of' or 'characterised by'; so 'bulky' literally means 'having a lot of bulk'. It has been in use since the late medieval and early modern period to describe things that take up an awkward amount of space. The spelling is regular, the only mild trap being the drop of any 'e' before the '-y', which never appears here.

How the word is built

• bulk (cargo, heap, mass)
• -y (adjective suffix: characterised by)