Giant Meaning
/ˈd͡ʒaɪ.ənt/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA mythical human or humanoid of very great size.
nounSpecifically:, Any of the gigantes, the race of giants in the Greek mythology.
Sentence Examples
Giant pandas live only in China.
Nancy had never seen a giant panda before.
The match was shown on a giant screen outside the town hall.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ pumpkin weighed over 500 pounds, breaking the previous record.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ redwood trees in California can grow to be hundreds of feet tall and live for thousands of years.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English geaunt, geant, from Old French geant, gaiant (Modern French géant) from Vulgar Latin *gagās, gagant-, from Latin gigās, gigant-, from Ancient Greek γίγας (gígas, “giant”). Cognate to giga- (“1,000,000,000”). Displaced native Old English ent, eoten, and þyrs. Compare Modern English ent (“giant tree-man”), ettin ("a giant"), and thurse ("a giant").
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The giants also had been outlawed along with Satan because they had fought against god."
— 1961, Norma Lorre Goodrich, “Beowulf”, in The Medieval Myths, New York: The New American Library, page 21:
""It's barbarous, Norsus." "It's Rome," said the giant flatly."
— 1966, James Workman, The Mad Emperor, Melbourne, Sydney: Scripts, page 65:
"Healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson says it will continue to sell its talc-based Johnson's Baby Powder in the UK and the rest of the world, despite stopping sales in the US and Canada."
— 2020 May 20, “J&J to sell baby powder in UK despite stopping US sales”, in BBC, London: BBC, retrieved 22 May 2020:
"Swiss food giant Nestlé confirmed the theft, which disappeared while traveling from central Italy to Poland."
— 2026 March 29, “Someone stole 413,793 KitKat bars and an entire truck in Europe”, in syracuse.com:
"But then I had the flintlock by me for protection. ¶ There were giants in the days when that gun was made; for surely no modern mortal could have held that mass of metal steady to his shoulder. The linen-press and a chest on the top of it formed, however, a very good gun-carriage; and, thus mounted, aim could be taken out of the window[…]."
— 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ pumpkin weighed over 500 pounds, breaking the previous record.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ redwood trees in California can grow to be hundreds of feet tall and live for thousands of years.