gigantism

American  

[jahy-gan-tiz-uhm, ji-, jahy-gan-tiz-uhm] / dʒaɪˈgæn tɪz əm, dʒɪ-, ˈdʒaɪ gænˌtɪz əm /

noun

1. Pathology. abnormally great development in size or stature of the whole body or of parts of the body, most often due to dysfunction of the pituitary gland.

2. Biology. the nonpathological development of an animal or plant to an unusually large size.

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gigantism British  

/ ˈdʒaɪɡænˌtɪzəm, dʒaɪˈɡæntɪzəm /

noun

1. Also called: giantism.  excessive growth of the entire body, caused by over-production of growth hormone by the pituitary gland during childhood or adolescence Compare acromegaly

2. the state or quality of being gigantic

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Etymology

Origin of gigantism

First recorded in 1880–85; from Latin gigant-, stem of gigās; giant, -ism

Compare meaning

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

• acromegaly vs. gigantism

Example Sentences

An industry less prone to gigantism might have avoided those horrors.

From New York Times

These animals are a famous example of "polar gigantism," a phenomenon where certain organisms in polar regions, such as the Arctic and Antarctic, grow to much larger sizes than their relatives in warmer climates.

From Science Daily

The main limitation of this work is the lack of discussion comparing the team's results with the development of gigantism and long limbs in proboscideans from the same period, according to eLife's editors.

From Science Daily

The ability to continue growing throughout the year may have been a key innovation, sustained by great migrations, that facilitated the emergence of gigantism in early sauropods.

From Scientific American

He was “our country’s greatest unacknowledged design visionary,” the critic and graphic designer Michael Bierut wrote in Design Observer in 2005, “the visual poet of American gigantism.”

From New York Times

Related Words

• bigness
• enormity
• vastness