Hulk
/hʌlk/noun
Something large, heavy, or hulking; especially a big, clumsy, or dilapidated mass or ship.
Did you know?The English ship sense of hulk likely came from a Middle English word for a large vessel or hull, and later the word was extended to mean a stripped, abandoned shell—proof that words can preserve the ghost of a thing after its life is gone.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*hulko-
“A shell, husk, or covering (reconstructed root often linked to a notion of covering or enclosing).”
Old English
OE
hulc
“A kind of ship or vessel.”
Middle English
ME
hulke
“A large ship; later, a bulky or unwieldy mass.”
16th Century
English
hulk
“A large, unwieldy body or object; also a ship stripped of its rigging and left as a shell.”
Modern English
English
hulk
“A massive, clumsy, or dilapidated mass; especially a person or thing that is big and bulky.”