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brobdingnagian

UK[ˌbrɒbdɪŋˈnæɡɪən]US[ˌbrɑːbdɪŋˈnæɡɪən]
adj

of enormous size; gigantic; immense.

Etymology

the word is a direct borrowing from literature, specifically jonathan swift's 1726 satire "gulliver's travels." brobdingnag is the name of a fictional land inhabited by giants. swift likely invented the name for its grandiose, absurd sound. the suffix "-ian" is a common english adjectival suffix (of the type seen in "victorian" or "republican") added to the proper noun to form the adjective meaning "of or relating to brobdingnag" or, by extension, "gigantic." its journey is not from ancient roots but from imaginative fiction into the lexicon as a learned synonym for colossal size.

Analysis

this is a proper noun converted into an adjective. it is not composed of separable, productive morphemes in english.

Examples

the new telescope revealed brobdingnagian structures in the distant nebula.

they faced the brobdingnagian task of cataloging the entire archive.

the sculptor was known for his brobdingnagian statues that dominated the city squares.

brobdingnagian – Meaning, Etymology & Word Origin | OpenEtymology