Where does “bulk” come from?
bulk (Middle English) comes from Old Norse búlki, from Proto-Germanic bulkô, from Proto-Indo-European bʰelǵ- — to balk, beam.
Ancestry of “bulk”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Norse | búlki | the freight or the cargo of a ship |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | bulkô | beam, pile, heap |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰelǵ- | to balk, beam |
Words derived from “bulk”