What is "bundling"

bundling \bundling\ n.

1. a former custom, especially in New England, in which unmarried couples occupied the same bed without undressing, especially during courtship. See bundle[2], v. i.

2. the act of binding something into a bundle.

3. the act of shoving hastily; as, she complained about bundling the children off to school. [WordNet 1.5] ||

1640s, "a gathering into a bundle," verbal noun from bundle (v.). Meaning "sharing a bed for the night, fully dressed, wrapped up with someone of the opposite sex" (1782) is a former local custom in New England (especially Connecticut and southeastern Massachusetts). It was noted there from about 1750s and often regarded by outsiders as grossly immoral, but New Englanders wrote defenses of it and claimed it was practiced elsewhere, too. It seems to have died out with the 18th century.\n\nI am no advocate for temptation; yet must say, that bundling has prevailed 160 years in New England, and, I verily believe, with ten times more chastity than the sitting on a sofa. I had daughters, and speak from near forty years' experience. Bundling takes place only in cold seasons of the year
--the sofa in summer is more dangerous than the bed in winter.

[The Rev. Samuel Peters, "A general history of Connecticut," 1782]

n. Arrangement in a bundle or collection. vb. (present participle of bundle English)

1. n. a one-time custom during courtship of unmarried couples occupying the same bed without undressing

2. the act of binding something into a bundle

3. the act of shoving hastily; "she complained about bundling the children off to school"

Bundling, or tarrying, is the traditional practice of wrapping one person in a bed accompanied by another, usually as a part of courting behavior. The tradition is thought to have originated either in the Netherlands or in the British Isles and later became common in Colonial America, especially in Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Some Nebraska Amish may still practice it. When used for courtship, the aim is to allow intimacy without sexual intercourse.

Bundling is a concept used for studying the selection of candidates for public office. A voter typically chooses a candidate (or party) for the legislature, rather than directly voting for specific policies. When doing so, the voter is essentially selecting among bundles of policies that a candidate or a party will enact if in power.

Bundling is the setting of the total price of a purchase of several products or services from one seller at a lower level than the sum of the prices of the products or services purchased separately from several sellers. Typically, one of the bundled items (the "primary product") is available only from the seller engaging in the bundling, while the other item or items (the "secondary product") can be obtained from several sellers. The effect of the practice is to divert purchasers who need the primary product to the bundling seller and away from other sellers of only the secondary product. For that reason, the practice may be held an antitrust violation as it was in SmithKline Corp. v. Eli Lilly & Co. and LePage's, Inc. v. 3M.