Etymologically
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giant

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈdʒaɪ.ənt/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English geant, geaunt, giaunt,[2][3] borrowed from Old French geant (“giant, ogre”), earlier jaiant (modern French géant),[4][2][5] from Vulgar Latin *gagās (accusative *gagantem),[4][2][6] a variant of Latin gigās (“a giant”),[4][2] from Ancient Greek γίγας (gígās) (genitive gígantos), one of the Gigantes, savage, monstrous sons of Gaia and Uranus eventually destroyed by the gods.[4][2][6] The Greek word is of unknown or uncertain origin, probably from a pre-Greek language;[4][2] derivation from gēgenḗs “earth-born” is considered untenable.[4] The spelling ge- was altered to gi- about 1350, after the Latin.[2][7] It replaced Old English ent, eoten and gigant.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A mythical being of human form and superhuman size: 1297 in the OED,[8] about 1300 in Etymonline and Barnhart.[4][2]

Semantic evolution

The Septuagint used the Greek word of men of great size and strength, which explains its wider use in modern languages.[4] A person who has some quality in an extraordinary degree is from the 1530s, 1535 in the OED,[4][8] and an abnormally tall person from 1559.[2][8] A figurative force of enormous power is first recorded in Donne's Poems (1631).[2][8] The adjective is from the early 15th century.[4][2] Giant-killer is from 1726,[4] a class of large stars from 1912,[4][8] and a powerful company dominating its market from 1958.[8]

Timeline

  • 1297 – a mythical giant.[8]
  • early 15th century – adjective.[4][2]
  • 1535 – a person of extraordinary ability.[8]
  • 1559 – a very tall person.[2][8]
  • 1726 – giant-killer.[4]
  • 1912 – a giant star.[4][8]
  • 1958 – a giant company.[8]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. In folklore and myth, a being of human form but enormous size and strength.
  2. A person or thing of great size.
  3. A person of extraordinary power, importance or ability: a literary giant.
  4. A very large, powerful company.
  5. A very large, bright star.

Adjective

  1. Of exceptionally great size or power; gigantic.

Word family

  • giantlike
  • supergiant
  • Giant's Causeway
  • gigantic
  • giantess
  • gigantism
  • ent
  • ettin

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  7. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press