Wiktionary

colossal

English

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WOTD – 15 April 2006

Etymology

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Etymology tree
Ancient Greek κολοσσός (kolossós)bor.
Latin colossusbor.
French colosse
Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.?
Proto-Italic *-ālis
Latin -ālisbor.
Old French -al
Middle French -al
French -al
French colossalder.
English colossal

    From French colossal, formed from Latin colossus, from Ancient Greek κολοσσός (kolossós, “giant statue”).

    Pronunciation

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    Adjective

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    colossal (comparative more colossal, superlative most colossal)

    1. Extremely large or on a great scale.
      A single puppy can make a colossal mess.
      • 2013 June 22, “Engineers of a different kind”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, page 70:
        Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers. […] Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster. Clever financial ploys are what have made billionaires of the industry’s veterans. “Operational improvement” in a portfolio company has often meant little more than promising colossal bonuses to sitting chief executives if they meet ambitious growth targets. That model is still prevalent today.
      • 2017 April 23, “Ivanka & Jared”, in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 4, episode 10, John Oliver (actor), via HBO:
        What is wrong with you, you colossal fucking creep⁉ You found the only possible wrong answer to that question! “What’s your favorite color? Hitler.”
    2. Amazingly spectacular; extraordinary; epic.
      • 1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:
        "It's just the very biggest thing that I ever heard of!" said I, though it was my journalistic rather than my scientific enthusiasm that was roused. "It is colossal. You are a Columbus of science who has discovered a lost world."

    Synonyms

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    Derived terms

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    Translations

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    Anagrams

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    French

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    Etymology

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      From colosse +‎ -al.

      Pronunciation

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      Adjective

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      colossal (feminine colossale, masculine plural colossaux, feminine plural colossales)

      1. colossal, huge
        Synonyms: énorme, gigantesque, titanesque

      Derived terms

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      Descendants

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      • → English: colossal
      • → German: kolossal

      Further reading

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      Italian

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      Etymology

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        Pseudo-anglicism, derived from colossal. First attested in 1986.

        Noun

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        colossal m (invariable)

        1. (film, theater) high-budget film or play with a high production value, ensemble cast, etc.

        Portuguese

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        Etymology

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        From colosso +‎ -al.

        Pronunciation

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        • Rhymes: (Portugal) -al, (Brazil) -aw
        • Hyphenation: co‧los‧sal

        Adjective

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        colossal m or f (plural colossais)

        1. colossal (extremely large)
          Synonyms: gigante, enorme

        Further reading

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