hulk
pronunciation
How to pronounce hulk in British English:
UK [hʌlk]
How to pronounce hulk in American English:
US [hʌlk]
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- Noun:
- a very large person; impressive in size or qualities
- a ship that has been wrecked and abandoned
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- Verb:
- appear very large or occupy a commanding position
Word Origin
- hulk (n.)
- Old English hulc "light, fast ship" (but in Middle English a heavy, unwieldy one), probably from Old Dutch hulke and Medieval Latin hulcus, perhaps ultimately from Greek holkas "merchant ship," literally "ship that is towed," from helkein "to pull" (from PIE root *selk- "to pull, draw"). Meaning "body of an old, worn-out ship" is first recorded 1670s. The Hulks ("Great Expectations") were old ships used as prisons. Sense of "big, clumsy person" is first recorded c. 1400 (early 14c. as a surname: Stephen le Hulke). HULK. In the sixteenth century the large merchantman of the northern nations. As she grew obsolete, her name was applied in derision to all crank vessels, until it came to be degraded to its present use, i.e., any old vessel unfit for further employment. [Geoffrey Callender, "Sea Passages," 1943]
- hulk (v.)
- "to be clumsy, unwieldy, lazy," 1789, from hulk (n.). Related: Hulked; hulking.
Example
- 1. You think this guy 's the hulk or what ?
- 2. We watched it burn into an unrecognizable hulk .
- 3. Why did the hulk save that ship ?
- 4. The creep 's hulk blocked the doorway , a belt loaded with weapons circling his waist .
- 5. Sir , the hulk will tear this place apart !