I. ˈbənch noun
( -es )
Etymology: Middle English bunche; perhaps akin to Dutch bonk bone, mass (as of flesh), cluster (of fruits), Old High German bungo tuber, Old Norse bunki cargo, bunga hump, Greek pachys thick — more at pachy-
1. : protuberance , hump , swelling
2.
a. : aggregate , cluster , tuft
a bunch of odds and ends out of the attic
a bunch of grapes
pull up a bunch of grass
especially : an aggregate of things of the same kind existing as a natural group or considered together
a bunch of cattle
a bunch of liberals
b. : a group of friends bound together by intimate social or cultural ties
he was the handiest with tools in our bunch — John O'Hara
3. : a small irregular ore body
4. : the filler and binder of a cigar without the wrapper
5.
a. : a proposal in various card games that the current deal be called off for a new deal
b. : an alternative name for any game in which this proposal is permitted ; especially : such a form of auction pitch
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: Middle English bunchen, from bunche protuberance
intransitive verb
1. : to swell into a protuberance : protrude — usually used with out
his shoulder and arm muscles bunched out with the effort of lifting
2. : to gather into clusters, tufts, or groups — often used with up
3. : to throw in playing cards for a new deal in a card game : assemble the cards for shuffling and dealing — compare bunch I 5
transitive verb
1. : to form into a bunch: as
a. : to group together : assemble
bunching cattle preparatory to shipment
more than 2000 saloons that were bunched at the southern end of Manhattan — John Lardner
b. : to make into a cluster or tuft
onions sent to West Indian ports were always strung or bunched — American Guide Series: Connecticut
c. : to fill out : make protuberant
a raised chair that was bunched out with cushions — V.S.Pritchett
d. : to form or pull or squeeze into a small compact unit
I wish you wouldn't bunch the paper so — A.J.Cronin
all his fingers bunched together on his chest — Richard Llewellyn
e. : to make into a usually compact pile — usually used with up
bunching up haycocks and pitching them into wagons — Christopher Rand
2. : to assemble (railroad cars) for loading or unloading in excess of the number ordered or of the number which can be handled at one time with available loading and unloading facilities
III. “, ˈbu̇n- transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: Middle English bunchen, perhaps of imitative origin
dialect Britain : to strike especially with the foot : kick