Bulge

Origin

From Old Northern French boulge ("leather bag"), from Late Latin bulga ("leather sack"), from Gaulish *bulga, *bulgos, from Proto-Celtic *bolgos ("sack, bag, stomach"). Cognate with bilge, belly, bellows, budget, French bouge, German Balg, etc.

Full definition of bulge

Noun

1. Something sticking out from a surface; a swelling, protuberant part; a bending outward, especially when caused by pressure.a bulge in a walla bulge in my pocket where I kept my wallet
2. The bilge or protuberant part of a cask.
3. (nautical) The bilge of a vessel.

Verb

1. (intransitive) To stick out from (a surface).The submarine bulged because of the enormous air pressure inside.He stood six feet tall, with muscular arms bulging out of his black T-shirt.
• 1922, Virginia Woolf, Jacob's Room Chapter 1The wind actually stirred the cloth on the chest of drawers, and let in a little light, so that the sharp edge of the chest of drawers was visible, running straight up, until a white shape bulged out; and a silver streak showed in the looking-glass.
2. (intransitive) To bilge, as a ship; to founder.
• BroomeAnd scattered navies bulge on distant shores.

Anagrams

• bugle