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

Auster’s other works included the nonfiction compilations “Groundwork” and “Talking to Strangers”; a family memoir, “The Invention of Solitude”; the novel “Leviathan” and the poetry collection “White Space.”

From Los Angeles Times

His other works included the nonfiction compilations “Groundwork” and “Talking to Strangers”; a family memoir, “The Invention of Solitude”; a biography of novelist Stephen Crane; the novels “Leviathan” and “Talking to Strangers” and the poetry collection “White Space.”

From Seattle Times

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

From Seattle Times

Like Timothée Chalamet’s dashingly coifed hero — who steers monstrous sandworms over the desert like a charioteer — Villeneuve has tamed a Leviathan.

From New York 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

Related Words

• behemoth
• freak
• giant
• whale