hunk

Definition

A large or dense piece of something.

Etymology

Probably borrowed from West Flemish hunke (“hunk; chunk”), of obscure origin. Probably from an earlier *humke, *humpke, a diminutive related to Dutch homp (“hunk; lump”), English hump, equivalent to hump + -kin. The sense of an attractive man is recorded in Australian slang in 1941, in jive talk in 1945.

Example Sentences

• "a hunk of metal"
• ""Jim, this is nice," I says. "I wouldn't want to be nowhere else but here. Pass me along another hunk of fish and some hot corn-bread.""
• "A cowherd was sitting by the roadside eating this food, and as he was one of those pudding-faced, basin-clipped, decent fellows, he cut off two medium great hunks of bread and cheese for them."