Main Entry:

mas·sive

Pronunciation:

\ˈma-siv\

Function:

adjective

Etymology:

Middle English massiffe, from Anglo-French mascif, alteration of massiz, from Vulgar Latin *massicius, from Latin massa mass

Date:

15th century

1: forming or consisting of a large mass: a: bulky b: weighty, heavy <massive walls> <a massive volume> c: impressively large or ponderous d: having no regular form but not necessarily lacking crystalline structure <massive sandstone> 2 a: large, solid, or heavy in structure <massive jaw> b: large in scope or degree <the feeling of frustration, of being ineffectual, is massive — David Halberstam> c (1): large in comparison to what is typical <a massive dose of penicillin> (2): being extensive and severe <massive hemorrhage> <massive collapse of a lung> (3): imposing in excellence or grandeur : monumental <massive simplicity>3: having mass <a massive boson>

— mas·sive·ly adverb

— mas·sive·ness noun