Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1700-1800
Origin: bouge, bulge 'bag, swelling, hump' (13-19 centuries), from Old French bouge; BUDGET1

bulge

1 noun
     
bulge1 [countable]
1 a curved mass on the surface of something, usually caused by something under or inside it:
The gun made a bulge under his jacket.
2 a sudden temporary increase in the amount or level of something:
a bulge in the birthrate
—bulgy adjective
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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