mammoth

[mam-uhth]

noun

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

adjective

1. immensely large; huge; enormous.

   a mammoth organization.

mammoth

/ 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

adjective

1. of gigantic size or importance

mammoth

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of mammoth¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of mammoth¹

C18: from Russian mamot, from Tatar mamont, perhaps from mamma earth, because of a belief that the animal made burrows

Synonym Study

See gigantic.

Example Sentences

Their support was well rewarded as the mammoth dish later divided into individual portions and distributed to the huge crowd and passersby.

From BBC

This mammoth data breach, which led to thousands of Afghans being secretly relocated to the UK, was only revealed last month after the High Court lifted a gagging order.

From BBC

England put in a mammoth effort on the fifth day but were ultimately frustrated by India's determination, a pitch that only had sporadic spells of life and a crucial Joe Root drop.

From BBC

He also had a mammoth 327 touches in the opposition box and appeared to adopt a 'shoot on sight' policy with 139 efforts on goal - effectively one every 20 minutes.

From BBC

The musical director of Black Sabbath's final performance, Tom Morello, has described putting the mammoth metal event together as an "honour".

From BBC

Related Words

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