First published 1891; not yet revised
enormousadjective
Factsheet
What does the adjective enormous mean?
There are six meanings listed in OED's entry for the adjective enormous, four of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
Entry status
OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.
How common is the adjective enormous?
About 30occurrences per million words in modern written English
1750 | 10 |
1760 | 15 |
1770 | 18 |
1780 | 20 |
1790 | 23 |
1800 | 21 |
1810 | 21 |
1820 | 22 |
1830 | 24 |
1840 | 26 |
1850 | 29 |
1860 | 30 |
1870 | 32 |
1880 | 33 |
1890 | 34 |
1900 | 34 |
1910 | 36 |
1920 | 35 |
1930 | 33 |
1940 | 29 |
1950 | 26 |
1960 | 26 |
1970 | 27 |
1980 | 26 |
1990 | 26 |
2000 | 24 |
2010 | 24 |
How is the adjective enormous pronounced?
British English
/ᵻˈnɔːməs/
uh-NOR-muhss
U.S. English
/ᵻˈnɔrməs/
uh-NOR-muhss
Where does the adjective enormous come from?
Earliest known use
mid 1500s
The earliest known use of the adjective enormous is in the mid 1500s.
OED's earliest evidence for enormous is from before 1533, in the writing of John Frith, evangelical theologian and martyr.
enormous is a borrowing from Latin, combined with an English element.
Etymons: Latin ēnormis, ‑ous suffix.
Nearby entries
- enorm, adj.1481–
- enorm, v.1602–12
- enormance, n.1682–1719
- enormantic, adj.1651–93
- enormification, n.1881–
- enormious, adj.1545–1665
- enormiously, adv.a1641
- enormitan, n.1655
- enormity, n.1477–
- enormly, adv.1538–1614
- enormous, adj.a1533–
- enormously, adv.a1617–
- enormousness, n.a1631–
- enorthotrope, n.1891–
- enose, v.1430–1530
- enosis, n.1928–
- enostosis, n.1874–
- enotic, adj.1958–
- enotist, n.1954–
- enough, adj., pron., n., adv.Old English–
- enoughbote, n.1340
Etymology
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Meaning & use
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Pronunciation
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Forms
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Frequency
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Compounds & derived words
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Entry history for enormous, adj.
enormous, adj. was first published in 1891; not yet revised.
enormous, adj. was last modified in July 2023.
Revision of the OED is a long-term project. Entries in oed.com which have not been revised may include:
- corrections and revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations which have been added in subsequent print and online updates.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into enormous, adj. in July 2023.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
OED First Edition (1891)
OED Second Edition (1989)
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Citation details
Factsheet for enormous, adj.
Browse entry
Nearby entries
- enorm, adj.1481–
- enorm, v.1602–12
- enormance, n.1682–1719
- enormantic, adj.1651–93
- enormification, n.1881–
- enormious, adj.1545–1665
- enormiously, adv.a1641
- enormitan, n.1655
- enormity, n.1477–
- enormly, adv.1538–1614
- enormous, adj.a1533–
- enormously, adv.a1617–
- enormousness, n.a1631–
- enorthotrope, n.1891–
- enose, v.1430–1530
- enosis, n.1928–
- enostosis, n.1874–
- enotic, adj.1958–
- enotist, n.1954–
- enough, adj., pron., n., adv.Old English–
- enoughbote, n.1340