English
giant
Giant comes from Middle English geaunt, from Old French geant, from Vulgar Latin *gagās, from Latin gigās ‘giant’, from Greek γίγας.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEγίγας1gígas
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgigās1
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*gagās1reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400geant1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500geaunt1‘a giant’
- Englishearliest quotation 1828giant1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English giant
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1828, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology: “The Dwarf then swelled and grew higher and higher…”.
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEγίγαςWiktionary, English giantgígas
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgigāsWiktionary, English giant
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*gagāsWiktionary, English giantreconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400geantWiktionary, English giant
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500geauntWiktionary, English giant‘a giant’
- Englishearliest quotation 1828giantWiktionary, English giant. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1828, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology: “The Dwarf then swelled and grew higher and higher…”
The story
Largely Displaced native Old English ent (‘giant’), Old English eoten (‘giant or jötunn’), and Old English þyrs (‘giant or ogre’).
Word family
English words that share an ancestor with giant, grouped by the ancestor they share, most familiar first.
through Ancient Greek γίγας
- gigantic ← γιγαντικός
4 more relatives in the full family tree
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Today it means
noun A mythical human or humanoid of very great size.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “giant”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek γίγας / giant