Bunking

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To participate in the practice of evading responsibilities by being absent, while also referring to the act of resting in a shared sleeping arrangement or bunk bed setup
2. Engaging in the behavior of skipping obligations or appointments, as well as sleeping in a shared or communal sleeping space typically found in dormitories
3. To take part in the action of avoiding duties through absence, alongside the act of utilizing a shared sleeping area like a bunk bed or dormitory space

Etymology: The word "bunking" grows from two unrelated senses of "bunk" that happen to share a spelling. The sleeping sense probably comes from a Scottish word, "bunker," meaning a seat or bench, and its ultimate source is uncertain, though it may be Scandinavian. Compare Old Swedish "bunke," the boards used to protect a ship's cargo. The modern sense of skipping out on obligations is a different story, and it seems to have developed from the idea of hurriedly leaving a bunk, as if slipping away from a ship. The other sense, to talk nonsense or deceive, has a more memorable origin. It is shortened from "bunkum," a variant of "buncombe," which traces back to Buncombe County in North Carolina. A congressman representing the county reportedly gave long, pointless speeches for the benefit of his constituents, and the phrase came to mean empty talk. Whether "bunking" in the skipping sense draws on that is not clear, since the two developments are separate.

Synonyms: sleeping, resting