Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Giant?

\Gi"ant\, n. [OE. giant, geant, geaunt, OF. jaiant, geant, F. g['e]ant, L. gigas, fr. Gr. ?, ?, from the root of E. gender, genesis. See {Gender}, and cf. {Gigantic}.] 1. A man of extraordinari bulk and stature. Giants of mighty bone and bold emprise. --Milton. 2. A person of extraordinary strength or powers, bodily or intellectual. 3. Any animal, plant, or thing, of extraordinary size or power. {Giant's Causeway}, a vast collection of basaltic pillars, in the county of Antrim on the northern coast of Ireland.
\Gi"ant\, a. Like a giant; extraordinary in size, strength, or power; as, giant brothers; a giant son. {Giant cell}. (Anat.) See {Myeloplax}. {Giant clam} (Zo["o]l.), a bivalve shell of the genus {Tridacna}, esp. {T. gigas}, which sometimes weighs 500 pounds. The shells are sometimes used in churches to contain holy water. {Giant heron} (Zo["o]l.), a very large African heron ({Ardeomega goliath}). It is the largest heron known. {Giant kettle}, a pothole of very large dimensions, as found in Norway in connection with glaciers. See {Pothole}. {Giant powder}. See {Nitroglycerin}. {Giant puffball} (Bot.), a fungus ({Lycoperdon giganteum}), edible when young, and when dried used for stanching wounds. {Giant salamander} (Zo["o]l.), a very large aquatic salamander ({Megalobatrachus maximus}), found in Japan. It is the largest of living Amphibia, becoming a yard long. {Giant squid} (Zo["o]l.), one of several species of very large squids, belonging to {Architeuthis} and allied genera. Some are over forty feet long.