massive

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈmæs.ɪv/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English massiffe or massif,^[2][3] borrowed from Middle French massif (“bulky, solid”) (feminine massive),^[4][2] an alteration of Old French massiz,^[5][6] from Vulgar Latin *massīceus,^[5] from Latin massa (“lump, mass”),^[5][6] through Old French masse “lump”.^[4][2] It is related to mass.^[4][2] It finally replaced the archaic massy (14th century).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Forming a large mass, having great size, weight or solidity: about 1400 in Etymonline,^[4] probably about 1408 in Lydgate's writings according to Barnhart,^[2] and about 1410 in the OED.^[7]

Semantic evolution

Of immaterial things, solid, substantial or great in scale, it is from 1581,^[7] the 1580s in Etymonline.^[4] Of gold or silver, solid rather than hollow or plated, it is from 1582.^[7] Of architectural or artistic style presenting great masses, it is from 1841,^[7] and of facial features from 1843.^[7] In medicine, of a disease affecting a large continuous part of tissue, it is from 1897.^[7] The American Cold War strategy of massive retaliation was introduced by Secretary of State J. F. Dulles in a speech of January 1954.^[4]

Timeline

• c. 1400 – of great size and weight.^[4][2]
• 1581 – great in scale.^[7]
• 1582 – of gold, solid.^[7]
• 1841 – of architecture.^[7]
• 1897 – of a disease.^[7]
• 1954 – massive retaliation.^[4]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Large, heavy and solid; bulky.
2. Very large or imposing in amount, scale or degree.
3. Of a medical condition, affecting a large area of tissue; severe: a massive heart attack.
4. (informal) Very successful or important.

Word family

• massively
• massiveness
• massive retaliation

Related words

• mass
• massif
• massy
• amass

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 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 Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press