hulk
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a very large, heavy, and sometimes clumsy person.
n.a person of massive size and strength, often implying a degree of clumsiness or an imposing physical presence.
Simple“The man was a great hulk of a guy who had to duck to get through the door.”
In context“Standing nearly seven feet tall, the silent hulk of a bodyguard loomed behind the diplomat throughout the entire press conference.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
n.the body of an old ship that can still float but is no longer used for sailing.
n.the hull of an abandoned or decommissioned ship, often stripped of its engines and rigging and used for storage or housing.
Simple“The rusted hulk of an old fishing boat sat rotting in the harbour.”
In context“The navy converted the decommissioned frigate into a floating hulk to serve as a temporary barracks for the shipyard workers.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
n.the large, empty frame of a building or machine that has been destroyed or abandoned.
n.the remains of a large, broken-down, or abandoned object or structure.
Simple“The burnt-out hulk of the factory stood as a reminder of the fire.”
In context“The charred hulk of the airliner lay in the field, surrounded by investigators searching for the flight data recorder.”
- 04 C2 Proficiency
v.to appear as a large, heavy, and often scary shape.
v.to appear or loom as a massive, often threatening or imposing bulk.
Simple“The dark mountains hulked over the tiny village in the valley.”
In context“The ruins of the cathedral hulked against the evening sky, casting long, jagged shadows across the town square.”
- 05 C2 Proficiency
v.to move in a heavy or clumsy way because of your size.
v.to move in a heavy, ponderous, or awkward manner, typically due to great physical bulk.
Simple“The giant hulked across the room, making the floorboards creak with every step.”
In context“He hulked through the crowded market, his broad shoulders accidentally bumping into several smaller pedestrians.”
“That rules out Supramax and other hulking container ships that make up a major share of global traffic because they can offer highly competitive rates.”
From Middle English hulk, hulke, holke (“hut; shed for hogs; type of ship; husk, pod, shell; large, clumsy person; a giant”) (probably reinforced by Middle Dutch hulk, huelc, and Middle Low German hulk, holk, hollek (“freighter, cargo ship, barge”)), from Old English hulc (“light ship; heavy, clumsy ship; cabin, hovel, hut”), from Proto-West Germanic huluk, hulik, from Proto-Germanic hulukaz, hulikaz (“something hollowed or dug out, cavity”), equivalent to hole/hollow + -ock. Cognate with Old High German holcho (“cargo or transport ship, barge”) (whence Middle High German holche, modern German Holk), Old Norse hólkr (“metal tube, ring”), dialectal Norwegian holk, hylke (“wooden barrel”), Middle English holken (“to dig out, gouge”). Relation to Medieval Latin hulcus (“ship”) is uncertain, as Old English may have borrowed from Latin or vice versa, but the form holcas rather points to borrowing from Ancient Greek ὁλκάς (holkás, “ship being towed; cargo ship, ship used for trading, holcad”) (compare Ancient Greek ἕλκω (hélkō, “to drag”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *selk- (“to draw, pull”)). See more at the Old English entry hulc. The verb is derived from the noun.
A variant of holk (“to dig out, hollow out, make hollow; to dig up, excavate; to dig into, investigate”), from Middle English holken (“to dig out, hollow out; to dig up, excavate”) (compare holk (“a hollow; body cavity”)), perhaps from Middle Low German hȫlken (“to hollow out, gouge”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic hulaz (“hollow”, adjective); further etymology uncertain, perhaps either from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- (“to cover”), or *ḱewh₁- (“to swell; to be strong”). Compare also Old English āhlocian (“to dig out”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.