bilge

Likely derived from bulge. Compare Middle English bulgen (“to ground or scuttle a ship”).

• IPA^(key): /bɪld͡ʒ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

bilge (countable and uncountable, plural bilges)

1. (nautical) The rounded portion of a ship's hull, forming a transition between the bottom and the sides.
2. (nautical) The lowest inner part of a ship's hull, where water accumulates.
3. (uncountable) The water accumulated in the bilge; bilge water.
4. (slang, uncountable) Stupid talk or writing; nonsense.

   talk bilge

   complete bilge

   • 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “In which the Notorious Criminal Gets what the British Law Considers to be His Deserts”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:

     "The whole thing is the most absolute bilge and a disgrace to our legislature."

5. The bulging part of a barrel or cask.

bilge (third-person singular simple present bilges, present participle bilging, simple past and past participle bilged)

1. (nautical, intransitive) To spring a leak in the bilge.
2. (intransitive) To bulge or swell.
3. (nautical, transitive) To break open the bilge(s) of.

• bilgewater / bilge water
• bilge keel
• bilge pump

• blige, gibel

Learned borrowing from Old Turkic 𐰋𐰃𐰠𐰏𐰀 (b²il²ga /⁠bilge⁠/, “wise”), from 𐰋𐰃𐰠 (b²il² /⁠bil-⁠/, “to know”) + 𐰏𐰀 (ga /⁠-ge⁠/). Compare bil- (“to know”). Fallen into disuse since the 15th century, but revived in 1935 in the campaign by the Türk Dil Kurumu to replace many loanwords by words with native Turkic roots.

• IPA^(key): /bilˈɟe/

bilge

1. wise, sage, profound

   Synonym: hakim

bilge (definite accusative bilgeyi, plural bilgeler)

1. wise person
2. polymath

• akıllı
• bilgin
• zeki
• alim