leviathan

[ li-vahy-uh-thuhn ]

noun

1. Often Leviathan. Bible. a sea monster.
2. any huge marine animal, as the whale.
3. anything of immense size and power, as a huge, oceangoing ship.
4. Leviathan, a philosophical work (1651) by Thomas Hobbes dealing with the political organization of society.

leviathan

/ lɪˈvaɪəθən /

noun

1. Bible a monstrous beast, esp a sea monster
2. any huge or powerful thing

Leviathan

1. A sea monster mentioned in the Book of Job , where it is associated with the forces of chaos and evil.

Notes

Figuratively, a “leviathan” is any enormous beast.

Leviathan is a work on politics by the seventeenth-century English author Thomas Hobbes .

Word History and Origins

Origin of leviathan¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English levyathan, from Late Latin leviathan, ultimately from Hebrew liwyāthān

Word History and Origins

Origin of leviathan¹

C14: from Late Latin, ultimately from Hebrew liwyāthān, of obscure origin

Example Sentences

Given the political hegemony enjoyed by vast corporate interests and institutional leviathans like the military, how is it that they can no longer fend off shakedowns by hack politicians?

From Salon

In 2020, a team of marine biologists and computer scientists joined forces to analyze the click-clacking songs of sperm whales, the gray, block-shaped leviathans that swim in most of the world’s oceans.

From New York Times

But — and this is one leviathan of a “but” — something else is starting to emerge in the polling.

From Seattle Times

CEO Kim Bayley said gaming "continued to show its ability to connect with people" last year, and despite the modest growth the industry "remains a leviathan".

From BBC

The animals peeked out their cages, and a sapphire leviathan poked its head above water.

From Literature

Related Words

• behemoth
• freak
• giant
• whale