Word: big Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Inherited from Northern Middle English big, bigge (“powerful, strong”), possibly from a dialect of Old Norse. Ultimately perhaps a derivative of Proto-Germanic *bugja- (“swollen up, thick”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰew-, *bu- (“to swell”), in which case big would be related to bogey, bugbear, and bug. Compare dialectal Norwegian bugge (“great man”), Low German Bögge, Boggelmann. Pronunciation: /bɪɡ/ 1. Of great size, large. Example: Elephants are big animals, and they eat a lot. Example: The big houses, and there are a good many of them, lie for the most part in what may be called by courtesy the valleys. You catch a glimpse of them sometimes at a little distance from the [railway] line,[…], with their court of farm and church and clustered village, in dignified seclusion. 2. Of great size, large. Labels: informal Example: Gosh, she is big! 3. Large with young; pregnant; swelling; ready to give birth or produce. Labels: figuratively, sometimes Example: She was big with child. Example: The Dawn is over-caſt, the Morning low’rs, And heavily in Clouds brings on the Day, The great, th’ important Day; big with the Fate Of Cato and of Rome. 4. Well-endowed; with a desired body part notably large. Labels: informal 5. Well-endowed; with a desired body part notably large. Labels: informal Example: I'm the shortest man on the team but in the gym shower everyone can see that I'm also the biggest. 6. Well-endowed; with a desired body part notably large. Labels: informal Example: I've been lifting weights for a full year now, but I'm finally getting big. 7. Adult; (of a child) older. Labels: informal Example: Kids should get help from big people if they want to use the kitchen. Example: We were just playing, and then some big kids came and chased us away. 8. Adult; (of a child) older. Labels: informal, rare, slang Example: I don't think so, if you're shouting at people across the playground at your big age. 9. Mature, conscientious, principled; generous. Labels: informal Example: That's very big of you; thank you! Example: I tried to be the bigger person and just let it go, but I couldn't help myself. 10. Important or significant. Labels: informal Example: What's so big about that? I do it all the time. Example: "I was dragged up at the workhouse school till I was twelve. Then I ran away and sold papers in the streets, and anything else that I could pick up a few coppers by—except steal. I never did that. I always made up my mind I'd be a big man some day, and—I'm glad I didn't steal." 11. Popular. Example: That style is very big right now in Europe, especially among teenagers. Example: Big in Japan, alright, pay then I'll sleep by your side / Things are easy when you're big in Japan 12. Populous. 13. Used as an intensifier, especially of negative-valence nouns Labels: informal Example: You are a big liar. Why are you in such a big hurry? Example: The little suggestions of look and tone; the easy fibs and bigger lies; the tricks of persuasion, the onleading wiles — all these I could not master. 14. Operating on a large scale, especially if therefore having undue or sinister influence. Labels: capitalized, humorous, often, sometimes Example: big money Example: Big Tech, Big Steel 15. Enthusiastic (about). Labels: informal Example: Neville is big on standing by his principles and he deserves plaudits for acknowledging he got his starting system wrong, reverting to 4-2-3-1 and introducing Kirby in the No 10 role. Example: I'm not big on the idea, but if you want to go ahead with it, I won't stop you.