Definition

Noun: 1. The act of tying or wrapping items together into a compact, secure package (a bundle). This refers to the action of gathering and fastening multiple objects into one unit for easier handling, transport, or storage. 2. The act of sending or moving someone or something away hastily and unceremoniously. This usage often implies a rushed, sometimes forceful, departure. 3. A historical courtship custom in which an unmarried couple shared a bed, fully clothed, often with a board or bolster between them, and sometimes under parental supervision. This practice was found in some cultures, notably in colonial New England and parts of Europe.

Usage and Examples

• Meaning 1 (Tying/Wrapping):
  • The bundling of the newspapers was done quickly by the machine.
  • Proper bundling of cables helps keep a workspace tidy.
• Meaning 2 (Sending away hastily):
  • The bundling of the protesters into police vans was captured on video.
  • After the meeting, there was a swift bundling of the visitors out the door.
• Meaning 3 (Historical courtship custom):
  • "Bundling" was a practical custom in cold climates where home heating was limited.
  • The practice of bundling allowed couples to talk privately but was governed by strict social rules.

Advanced Usage and Notes

• In modern commerce and software, "bundling" often implies selling multiple products or services together as a single package (e.g., , ). While this is a common compound term, the core noun "bundling" retains its fundamental meaning of combining items into one unit.
• The historical custom (Meaning 3) is almost always referred to specifically as "the custom/practice of bundling" to distinguish it from the more common modern meanings.

Variants and Related Words

• Bundle (noun/verb): The core word. As a verb: to tie, wrap, or sell together. As a noun: a collection of things tied together.
• Bundler (noun): A person or machine that bundles things.

Synonyms

• For Meaning 1: Tying, wrapping, packing, baling, trussing.
• For Meaning 2: Hurrying, rushing, hustling, shoving.
• For Meaning 3: (No direct synonym; described as a courtship custom or bed courtship).

Phrasal Verbs/Related Verb Phrases

• To bundle up: To dress warmly in many layers of clothing.
  • She told the children to bundle up before going outside in the snow.
• To bundle off/out: To send someone away quickly.
  • He was bundled off to boarding school at a young age.

Noun

1. the act of shoving hastily
   • she complained about bundling the children off to school
2. the act of binding something into a bundle
3. a onetime custom during courtship of unmarried couples occupying the same bed without undressing