Giant Comes From the Gigantes of Greek Myth
A giant is a person of enormous size. The word descends from the Gigantes, a race of beings who fought the Greek gods.
A giant is a being or thing of enormous size. The word is a proper name turned common: the *Gigantes* of Greek myth were a race who waged war on the Olympian gods, and their name became the general word for anything huge. The battle itself is called the *Gigantomachy*. The prefix *giga-*, meaning a billion, comes from the same Greek root, so a gigabyte is literally a giant byte.
- A huge being. *A giant in the story.*
- Something very large. *A giant of industry.*
- Gigantic — enormous. *A gigantic error.*
- Giga- — a billion. *A gigabyte.*
- Gigantes — the Greek beings. *The Gigantes.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | giant | A gentle giant. |
| Plural | giants | Two giants. |
| Adjective | giant | A giant panda. |
| Adjective | gigantic | Gigantic. |
| Greek | gigas | A giant. |
- The beanstalk led to a giant's castle.Story.
- She was a giant of twentieth-century science.Figurative.
- Giga- means a billion.Prefix.
Names that became common words
- Giant — from the Gigantes of Greek myth
- Titanic — from the Titans, the earlier divine generation
- Panic — from Pan, who caused sudden irrational fear
- Cereal — from Ceres, goddess of grain
- Volcano — from Vulcan, god of fire
Old French *geant*, from Latin *gigas*, from Greek *gigas*, one of the Gigantes who fought the gods.
Who were the Gigantes?
A race in Greek myth who fought the Olympian gods in a war called the Gigantomachy. Their name became the English word giant.
Is giga- related to giant?
Yes. The metric prefix meaning a billion comes from the same Greek word.