Hunks

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

  1. A group of well-built or muscular men, often admired for their physical appeal
  2. Large pieces or chunks of something, typically referring to food or material that is cut or broken off
  3. A term used to describe any substantial or hefty amount of something, often used informally to signify a significant portion

Etymology: "Hunks" is the plural of "hunk," a word whose ultimate origin nobody has pinned down. Its earliest uses in English are American and date from the early twentieth century, when it appeared as slang for a big, sturdy person or thing. The sense of a strapping, muscular man as an object of admiration developed from that broader meaning, and the plural now typically refers to a group of such men, often in a playful or admiring way. Because the root is unknown, any proposed link to other words is speculation, and the form itself tells us little beyond its informal, colloquial character. What is clear is the plural's role here: it is simply the ordinary plural of a noun that started out describing size and solidity before it came to describe physique.

Synonyms: chunks, pieces, lumps, portions, segments

Antonyms: bits, shreds, fragments