I. ˈhəlk noun
Etymology: Middle English hulke, from Old English hulc, probably from Medieval Latin holcas, from Greek holkas, from helkein to pull — more at sulcus
Date: before 12th century
1.
a. : a heavy clumsy ship
b.
(1) : the body of an old ship unfit for service
(2) : a ship used as a prison — usually used in plural
every prisoner sent to the hulk s — Kenneth Roberts
c. : an abandoned wreck or shell (as of a building or automobile)
2. : one that is bulky or unwieldy
a big hulk of a man
II. intransitive verb
Date: circa 1825
1. dialect England : to move ponderously
2. : to appear impressively large or massive : loom
factories hulk ed along the river