mammoth English · revision 2425

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈmæməθ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|ru|мамот|tr=mamot]] (now ''mamont''),^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) first used of the remains of the animal found in Siberia.^(RHWU)^(AHD) The Russian word probably comes from a Finno-Ugric language, Ostyak,^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) though the American Heritage Dictionary says this has not been proved.^(AHD) Barnhart and Etymonline compare Finnish ''maa'' “earth”, since the animal, dug out of the ground, was thought to burrow like a mole.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The large extinct elephant of Europe and northern Asia (1698 in the OED; 1706 in other sources).^(OED 1989)^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The adjective “gigantic” is recorded from 1802 and appears to be American;^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995) its first uses mock the huge cheese presented to President Jefferson by Baptist women of Cheshire, Massachusetts.^(Etymonline) The figurative noun, “something of huge size”, followed in 1894.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1698–1706 – the extinct elephant.^(OED 1989)^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ * 1802 – adjective, huge (American).^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1816 – also used of the mastodon (US).^(OED 1989)

+ * 1894 – something of huge size.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # Any of various large, hairy extinct elephants of the genus ''Mammuthus'', with long curving tusks.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Something very large of its kind.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Of enormous size; huge.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}