giant

[ jahy-uhnt ]

noun

1. (in folklore) a being with human form but superhuman size, strength, etc.
2. a person or thing of unusually great size, power, importance, etc.; major figure; legend:

   a giant in her field; an intellectual giant.

3. (often initial capital letter) Classical Mythology. any of the Gigantes.
4. Mining. monitor ( def 12 ).
5. Astronomy. giant star.

adjective

1. unusually large, great, or strong; gigantic; huge.
2. greater or more eminent than others.

giant

/ ˈdʒaɪənt /

noun

1. a mythical figure of superhuman size and strength, esp in folklore or fairy tales Also (feminine)giantessˈdʒaɪəntɪs
2. a person or thing of exceptional size, reputation, etc

   a giant in nuclear physics

3. Greek myth any of the large and powerful offspring of Uranus (sky) and Gaea (earth) who rebelled against the Olympian gods but were defeated in battle
4. pathol a person suffering from gigantism
5. astronomy See giant star
6. mining another word for monitor

adjective

1. remarkably or supernaturally large
2. architect another word for colossal

Derived Forms

• ˈgiant-ˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• giant·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of giant¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English geant, from Old French, from Latin gigant-, stem of gigās, from Greek Gígās; replacing Old English gigant, from Latin, as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of giant¹

C13: from Old French geant, from Vulgar Latin gagās (unattested), from Latin gigās, gigant-, from Greek

Example Sentences

The tech giant has invested in Anthropic, the maker of a popular chatbot.

From New York Times

Adani Group has bid for giant contracts in India’s back yard.

From New York Times

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was deeply saddened to hear of Lord Prescott's death, and called him a "true giant" of the Labour movement.

From BBC

In a court filing late on Wednesday, the DOJ said the technology giant should sell off its Chrome web browser.

From BBC

The researchers said several well-known Yale Peabody Museum fossils were pivotal in the work, including Allosaurus, the giant Jurassic predator discovered by O.C.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• behemoth
• titan