bunk
bunk Lexical Profile
bunk Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A narrow, shelf-like bed, typically one of two or more arranged one on top of the other in a tiered structure.
"The children immediately started arguing over who would get to sleep in the top bunk during the train ride."
North American Empty, misleading, or nonsensical talk.
"The scientist quickly dismissed the conspiracy theory as pure bunk lacking any empirical evidence."
• verb
To occupy a bed, or to share sleeping quarters, often in an improvised or temporary arrangement.
"During the blizzard, all the stranded travelers had to bunk together in the community hall."
British To leave hastily or play truant from school or work.
"He decided to bunk off school for the day and go to the arcade instead."
Word Nuance & Usage
The word functions as a pair of unrelated homographs: one meaning a tiered bed (origin obscure) and the other serving as an informal term for nonsense (shortened from 'bunkum').
• Rhymes for bunk
Word Origin & Etymology
The noun meaning 'nonsense' is a 19th-century shortening of 'bunkum', originating from a long, irrelevant speech made to Congress in 1820 by a representative from Buncombe County, North Carolina. The origin of the meaning 'bed' is unknown, though it may derive from 'bunker'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.