behemoth
VIDEO FOR BEHEMOTH
What Is The Origin Of The Word "Behemoth"?
What exactly is a behemoth? Well, the original behemoth was found in the ... duh, duh, duh ... Bible.
Origin of behemoth
historical usage of behemoth
Much folklore has arisen around behemoth. One story has it that behemoth, separated from its aquatic counterpart leviathan at the dawn of creation, will be reunited with it in an epic battle on Judgment Day in which each will slay the other. Following this biblical King Kong vs. Godzilla match, both animals will be served up as a feast for the remaining faithful.
Behemoth makes an appearance in such classics of literature as John Milton's Paradise Lost, Shelley's Prometheus Unbound, and James Joyce's Finnegans Wake. Today we use it to apply to anything large, powerful, and often unwieldy.
popular references for behemoth
— Behemoth: Thomas Hobbes's 1681 book on the English Civil Wars, from the Scottish revolution in 1637 to the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660.
—Behemoth: A character in The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. Behemoth is a walking, talking, gun-toting black cat, and a demon in disguise.
—Behemoth: A Polish rock band, playing what's known as blackened death metal, a mix of black metal and thrash metal music.
—The Behemoth: A video game development company, creators of the popular video games Alien Hominid (2004) and Castle Crashers (2008).
— Behemoth: The second book in Scott Westerfield’s steampunk young adult series, published in 2010.
Quotations related to behemoth
- "Whom the Hebrues call Bemoth that doth in latin playne expresse / A beast rude full of cursednesse. "-John Lydgate Troy Book, II. xvii (1430)
- "Behemoth, biggest born of earth. "-John Milton Paradise Lost (1667)
- "[T]he unwieldy behemoths of the old economy are falling over each other to reinvent their identities. "-Oliver Burkeman If the name fits… Guardian (January 8, 2001)
Words nearby behemoth
VOCAB BUILDER
What is a behemoth?
A behemoth is a thing or creature of enormous size or power, as in An elephant is a behemoth that even lions and rhinos are afraid of.
The word Behemoth also refers to a monstrous creature from the Bible. In Job 40:15, an unknown large animal is referred to as a behemoth and is said to have immense power and eat grass. It is commonly thought that the animal being described is actually a hippopotamus.
Example: The powerful company is a behemoth in the electronics industry, dominating the market.
Where does behemoth come from?
The first records of the word behemoth come from around 1350. It comes from the Hebrew bəhēmōth, a plural form of the word bəhēmāh, meaning “beast.” It is thought that the plural was used in the Bible to emphasize the creature’s might or monstrous size.
Interestingly, behemoth isn’t the only word we use based on a monstrous creature from the Bible. The word leviathan comes from the name of a giant aquatic beast mentioned in the Bible. According to one legend, the behemoth and leviathan will have a fierce battle on Judgment Day. Today, most people are likely unaware of the Biblical origins of behemoth. Now, the word is used generally to describe anything that is monstrous in size or power.
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How is behemoth used in real life?
Behemoth is a word people use to refer to someone or something that is very large and/or very powerful.
6-foot-6 behemoth Bryce Ball crushed that one, homer on a shin-high pitch. Think some teams are gonna regret passing on him all the way to #Braves in 24th round?
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) February 26, 2020
Amazon is a behemoth to deal with because they've sprawled into so many industries. In addition to selling products on their site, they do fulfillment for Ebay and Etsy; they have their own film studios; they own Whole Foods; the US Navy and NASA uses their web services.
— Charles Preston (@_CharlesPreston) December 14, 2019
Huge props to the entire crew that put together this behemoth of a show. All the tech, camera, audio, rigging, transport everything!
— Trevor Henry (@Quickshot) November 5, 2017
Try using behemoth!
True or False?
A building that towered over all the other buildings in a city could be described as a behemoth.