mammoth

American  

[mam-uhth] / ˈmæm əθ /

noun

1. any large, elephantlike mammal of the extinct genus Mammuthus, from the Pleistocene Epoch, having hairy skin and ridged molar teeth.

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adjective

1. immensely large; huge; enormous.

   a mammoth organization.

mammoth British  

/ ˈmæməθ /

noun

1. any large extinct elephant of the Pleistocene genus Mammuthus (or Elephas ), such as M. primigenius ( woolly mammoth ), having a hairy coat and long curved tusks

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adjective

1. of gigantic size or importance

mammoth Scientific  

/ măm′əth /

1. Any of various extinct elephants of the genus Mammuthus, having long, upwardly curving tusks and thick hair. Mammoths grew to great size and lived throughout the Northern Hemisphere during the Ice Age.

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Related Words

See gigantic.

Etymology

Origin of mammoth

1690–1700; < Russian mam(m)ot (now mámont ), first used in reference to remains of the animal found in Siberia; origin uncertain

Compare meaning

How does mammoth compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• mastodon vs. mammoth

Explanation

The adjective mammoth is a great way to describe something really, really big, like those huge woolly elephants they’re still finding in the melting glaciers. The word mammoth is a pretty new one, dating back only to around 1700. It was first only a noun from the Russian word mammot, meaning “earth,” and used to name the newly-discovered fossilized creature that was thought to have burrowed in the earth like a mole. The word, a rare Russian contribution to English, was not used as an adjective until around 1800 — notably when President Thomas Jefferson used it to describe a very large cheese.

Example Sentences

There was evidence of mice where all three of the deceased had worked, and one person had numerous mice in their home, according to the public health office for Mono County, home to Mammoth Lakes.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026

She founded the company with Alon Kessel, a co-founder of renewables developer Doral whose developments include the giant Mammoth solar project in Indiana.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

Presidents Day also brought heavy snow to Northern California and the Eastern Sierra, with several feet predicted in the mountains and whiteout conditions near Mammoth Mountain and Lake Tahoe.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026

Realising her potential, Kim and her father helped Choi to travel to the United States to train with the Mammoth Mountain development team.

From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026

We joined bikers and backpackers and the skiers heading for Mammoth.

From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston

Related Words

• colossal
• enormous
• gargantuan
• gigantic
• immense
• large
• massive
• monstrous
• monumental
• prodigious
• vast