Bulk carriers

Posted by ESC on September 21, 2003

In Reply to: Order posted by sphinx on September 21, 2003

: : : 1.This volcano has a time frame where it erupts in the order of every 500 to 1,000 years.

: : : 2.The "Ring of Fire" is a ring around the Pacific Ocean where something on the order of 60% of the world's volcanoes lie.

: : : Could you please explain "order" in both cases?
: : : Which word can replace it?

: : From Merriam-Webster online:

: : on the order of: 1 after the fashion of: LIKE "much on the order of Great Lakes bulk carriers -- Ships and the Sea" 2 : ABOUT, APPROXIMATELY "spent on the order of two million dollars."

:
: what are bulk carriers?

Go to www.google.com/ and type in "bulk carriers." There are several sites explaining the term.