magnum

[ mag-nuh m ]

/ ˈmæg nəm /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR magnum ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a large wine bottle having a capacity of two ordinary bottles or 1.5 liters (1.6 quarts).

a magnum cartridge or firearm.

adjective

(of a cartridge) equipped with a larger charge than other cartridges of the same size.

(of a firearm) using such a cartridge.

Informal. unusually great in power or size: a magnum spotlight; a magnum dosage.

Nearby words

magnolia warbler, magnoliaceous, magnoliid, magnox, magnox reactor, magnum, magnum opus, magnus annus, magnus effect, magnus hitch, magog

Origin of magnum

1780–90; < Latin, neuter of magnus large; in reference to firearms, orig. used as a trademark by the Smith and Wesson Co.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for magnum

Catalogue, published by Flammarion (2014), includes photographs from the Magnum Photos archives and text by Éric Hazan.
A History of Paris in 150 Photographs|Sarah Moroz|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Magnum came into being as a cooperative only two years after the conclusion of World War II.
A History of Paris in 150 Photographs|Sarah Moroz|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Magnum is an entrusted brand, with an irrefutably global reach.
A History of Paris in 150 Photographs|Sarah Moroz|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Nagrani started out selling socks with designs ranging from a shirt on Magnum, P.I. to Winston Churchill.
The Hot Designer Who Hates Fashion: VK Nagrani Triumphs His Own Way|Tom Teodorczuk|December 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But the raw believability of, say, Magnum photography has been done for.
The Magazine That Made—and Unmade—Politicians|Anthony Haden-Guest|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Who could doubt that such mighty notes of preparation were to usher in some magnum opus, worthy of the expectations thus excited?
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 58, Number 360, October 1845|Various
She no doubt longed to see me perform the magnum opus, but the gentle Armelline would not allow me to go so far.
The Memoires of Casanova, Complete|Jacques Casanova de Seingalt
The Bullarium magnum contains many rules relating to cloister discipline and the life of the secular clergy.
The Browning Cyclopdia|Edward Berdoe
Thus ended my anxiety, and a few minutes later on the magnum of champagne.
The Chronicles of a Gay Gordon|Jos Maria Gordon
Upper molar tooth of Paleotherium magnum from Isle of Wight.
A Manual of Elementary Geology|Charles Lyell.

British Dictionary definitions for magnum

magnum

/ (ˈmæɡnəm) /

noun plural -nums

a wine bottle holding the equivalent of two normal bottles (approximately 52 fluid ounces)

Word Origin for magnum

C18: from Latin: a big thing, from magnus large

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

magnum

noun

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of magnum

Examples from the Web for magnum

British Dictionary definitions for magnum

magnum

noun plural -nums

Word Origin for magnum