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

Television exploits our memory gaps, willful or unintended, by churning out period action dramas centered on history’s giant conflicts, most related to World War II. Unlike that endlessly commodified conflict, these chapters in Ireland’s history don’t turn up in most history teaching.

From Salon

The fast food giant resumed sales of the burger in all of its restaurants in America after it said samples of its beef patties, taken by the Colorado Department of Agriculture, tested negative for the bacteria.

From BBC

The Burbank media giant reported Thursday that its entertainment business took in $10.8 billion in revenue during its fiscal fourth quarter, an increase of 14% compared with the same period a year earlier.

From Los Angeles Times

The bout is by far the Los Gatos, Calif.-based streaming giant’s biggest sports event yet, and will probably be its highest-profile effort in live streaming to date.

From Los Angeles Times

Outspent in the general election and subjected to an onslaught of negative ads and mailers and headlines in the weeks leading up to election day, she nevertheless trounced De León, a Latino political giant now reduced to a cautionary tale after his fall from grace for his role in a secretly recorded conversation that upended L.A. politics.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• behemoth
• titan