leviathan

[ li-vahy-uh-thuhn ]

noun

1. Often Leviathan. Bible. a sea monster.
2. any huge marine animal, as the whale.
3. anything of immense size and power, as a huge, oceangoing ship.
4. Leviathan, a philosophical work (1651) by Thomas Hobbes dealing with the political organization of society.

leviathan

/ lɪˈvaɪəθən /

noun

1. Bible a monstrous beast, esp a sea monster
2. any huge or powerful thing

Leviathan

1. A sea monster mentioned in the Book of Job , where it is associated with the forces of chaos and evil.

Notes

Figuratively, a “leviathan” is any enormous beast.

Leviathan is a work on politics by the seventeenth-century English author Thomas Hobbes .

Word History and Origins

Origin of leviathan¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English levyathan, from Late Latin leviathan, ultimately from Hebrew liwyāthān

Word History and Origins

Origin of leviathan¹

C14: from Late Latin, ultimately from Hebrew liwyāthān, of obscure origin

Example Sentences

It might also help the public see tech firms as business partners, and not corporate leviathans that need breaking up.

From Time

The 4-million-solar-mass leviathan is relatively quiet today.

From Quanta Magazine

Musing this may be your last swim, it might be surprising to learn this leviathan of the deep is a harmless yet endangered gentle giant.

From Ars Technica

They took on the leviathan task of adding in data about physics, geometry, and evolutionary history into their model.

From Singularity Hub 

Specifically, we wanted to know how one determines whether a corporate leviathan that asks for information from a young startup — and maybe even invests in it — is really a friend or foe.

From TechCrunch

But this is a rare moment where the leviathan can be confronted and restrained.

From The Daily Beast

THIS WHY WE CANNOT ALLOW THE FEDERAL LEVIATHAN TO GET BIGGER AND BIGGER AND CONTROL MORE AND MORE OF OUR LIVES.

From The Daily Beast

It should be the first step toward punching Leviathan in the nose and squeezing him down to size.

From The Daily Beast

President Obama is wrestling with the leviathan and much more than just his legacy is at stake.

From The Daily Beast

This is the leviathan that libertarians and conservatives have warned about in sometimes overheated, hyperpartisan terms.

From The Daily Beast

She left in company with the Leviathan, and the two vessels had an exciting trip across the Atlantic.

From Project Gutenberg

Fresh from the hands of the enemy into the hands of proud Yankee sailors was the fate of this great leviathan of the deep.

From Project Gutenberg

The Leviathan is 954 feet in length, and has a beam of one hundred feet.

From Project Gutenberg

The sister ship to the Imperator, and largest vessel in the world, is the Leviathan.

From Project Gutenberg

California seemed less like a voluptuous leviathan blowing poppy-dust that blunted the memory of all things beyond her borders.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• behemoth
• freak
• giant
• whale