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mammoth

mam·moth

UK/ˈmæməθ/ US/ˈmæmʌθ/ uncommon obsolete
adjective (1) noun (1)

adjective

1.

so exceedingly large or extensive as to suggest a giant or mammoth

  • “a gigantic redwood”
  • “gigantic disappointment”
  • “a mammoth ship”
  • “a mammoth multinational corporation”
Synonyms
Similar

noun

1.

any of numerous extinct elephants widely distributed in the Pleistocene; extremely large with hairy coats and long upcurved tusks

Origin

From obsolete Russian ма́мант (mámant), modern ма́монт (mámont), probably from a Uralic word, such as Proto-Mansi *mān-oŋt (“earth horn”). Possibly influenced by behemoth. Adjectival use was popularized in the early 1800s by references to the Cheshire Mammoth Cheese presented to American paleontologist and president Thomas Jefferson.

Phrases

  • Columbian mammoth
  • mammoth steppe
  • steppe mammoth
  • woolly mammoth
  • wooly mammoth

Related words

Word family

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.