Etymologically
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massive

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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
  • 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