immense

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɪˈmɛns/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French immense,^[2][3][4] from Latin immēnsus (“immeasurable, boundless”),^[2][3] from in- (“not”) and mēnsus (“measured”), the past participle of mētior (“to measure”) (see measure).^[2][3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Great beyond measure: about 1426 (immens) in Barnhart, the early 15th century in Etymonline;^[2][3] the OED's first quotation, for much beyond the ordinary size, is from 1490.^[6]

Semantic evolution

Unmeasured, too great to be measured, is from 1599,^[6] and boundless or infinite from the 16th century.^[5] It was a vogue word in the 18th century, mocked for phrases like immense great and immense little;^[3] in slang it meant superlatively fine from 1762.^[6] Immensity is probably from 1440.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 1426 – immens.^[2]
• 1440 – immensity.^[2]
• 1490 – extremely great.^[6]
• 1599 – immeasurable.^[6]
• 1762 – splendid (slang).^[6]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Extremely large; huge, vast.
2. Without limits; immeasurable.
3. (informal) Very good; excellent.

Word family

• immensely
• immenseness
• immensity

Related words

• measure
• dimension
• commensurate

Usage notes

In north Yorkshire dialect immense meant exactly the thing required.^[7]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)