▪ I. ˈbunching, vbl. n.
[f. bunch v.1 and v.2 + -ing1.]
The action of the verbs to bunch: † a. Thumping, beating (obs.). † b. Bulging, protuberance (obs.). c. Making into bunches.
| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xii. xi, [The swan] haþ a byl with a maner bonchinge [1535 bounchynge; 1582 bounching] þat distingueþ þe syȝte fro smel and taste. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 55 Bunchynge, tuncio. 1668 Culpepper & Cole Barthol. Anat. i. ix. 20 [The stomach] hath two bunchings. c 1720 W. Gibson Farrier's Guide i. vi. (1738) 81 The Protuberances or Bunchings of the Cerebellum. 1883 Cassell's Family Mag. Aug. 561 Flower-picking, bunching, and selling. 1901 L. M. Waterhouse Conduit Wiring 51 The system of bunching which, with wood casing, is objectionable from a fire insurance point of view. 1906 Dewar Faery Year 27 Bunching up of the cress for local retail business. 1967 Economist 7 Jan. 4/1 The negative attitude of London bus drivers to their work, e.g., bunching, largely stems from their low wages. |
d. The action of a buncher (see buncher 2). Also attrib.
| 1939 R. H. & S. F. Varian in Jrnl. Appl. Physics X. 326/2 A large bunching distance increases the difficulty of getting a large fraction of the beam into the catcher. 1946 Electronic Engin. XVIII. 153 Another method..makes use of the klystron bunching principle. |
▪ II. † ˈbunching, ppl. a. Obs.
[f. bunch v.2 + -ing2.]
Protuberant, bulging.
| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. v. xxvi. (1495) 135 The bones of þe sholdres that ben holowe wythin and bounchynge wythout. 1677 Moxon Mech. Exerc. (1703) 11 Your Punch will print a bunching mark. 1668 Culpepper & Cole Barthol. Anat. i. viii. 17 The bunching part of the Spleen. 1813 W. Beattie Yule Feast 11 Twa bunching megs. |