English
gigantean
Gigantean comes from Latin giganteus ‘of or pertaining to the giants’, and perhaps goes back to Proto-Indo-European *gag-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gag-1uncertain
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEΓίγας2‘giant’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgigās3as gigāns‘giant’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgiganteus4‘of or pertaining to the giants’
- Englishearliest quotation 1642gigantean4
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek Γίγας
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin gigas
- 3 Wiktionary, Latin giganteus
- 4 Wiktionary, English gigantean
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1642, Thomas Barton, Section II: “[Y]our Mercuriall wit hath mangonized a Gigantean fury with…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gag-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek Γίγαςuncertain
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEΓίγαςWiktionary, Latin gigas‘giant’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgigāsWiktionary, Latin giganteusas gigāns‘giant’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgiganteusWiktionary, English gigantean‘of or pertaining to the giants’
- Englishearliest quotation 1642giganteanWiktionary, English gigantean. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1642, Thomas Barton, Section II: “[Y]our Mercuriall wit hath mangonized a Gigantean fury with…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gag-
through Latin gigās ‘giant’
Today it means
adj giant-like; gigantic, mighty.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “gigantean”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek Γίγας, Latin gigas, Latin giganteus. 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 / Proto-Indo-European *gag- / gigantean