Contextualizebeta

prodigious

adj
/pɹəˈdɪd͡ʒəs/UK/pɹəˈdɪd͡ʒəs/US

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per-der.? Proto-Indo-European *per-der.? Proto-Indo-European *pér Proto-Indo-European *-o Proto-Indo-European *pró Proto-Indo-European *pro- Proto-Italic *pro- Latin prō- Proto-Indo-European *h₁eǵ-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁ǵyéti Proto-Italic *agjō Latin aiō Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ium Latin prōdigium Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed-der. Latin -ōsus Latin prōdigiōsusbor. Middle English prodigious English prodigious The adjective is derived from Late Middle English prodigious (“warning of disaster, portentous”), from Latin prōdigiōsus (“strange, unnatural; marvellous, wonderful, prodigious”), from prōdigium (“prophetic sign, omen, portent; prodigy, wonder”) + -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of’ forming adjectives from nouns). Prōdigium is derived from prō- (prefix denoting a forward direction, something before or prior, or prominence) + aiō (“to say, speak”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eǵ- (“to say”)) + -ium (suffix forming abstract nouns). The English word is analysable as prodigy + -ous. The adverb is derived from the adjective. Cognates * Catalan prodigiós * Middle French prodigieux (“portentous”) (modern French prodigieux) * Italian prodigioso * Portuguese prodigioso * Spanish prodigioso

  1. derived from *h₁eǵ-✻ — “to say”
  2. derived from prōdigiōsus — “strange, unnatural; marvellous, wonderful, prodigious”
  3. inherited from prodigious — “warning of disaster, portentous”

Definitions

  1. Extraordinarily amazing.

    • VVhat am I? Old! or a Monſter! Is it ſo prodigious, that a Man ſhou'd like me?
    • Prodigious! […] VVhat in the Name of VVonder hath brought you to England?
    • Prodigious! hovv the Things Proteſt, Proteſt: / Peace, Fools! or Gonſon vvill for Papiſts ſeize you, / If once he catch you at your Jeſu! Jeſu!

  2. Very big in extent, quantity, or size

    Very big in extent, quantity, or size; abundant; intense; colossal, huge.

    • [T]he figges […] are a fruit for a king, anſvverable to the mightie, huge, and prodigious tree that beareth it.
    • VVHEN John firſt brought out the Bills, the Surprize of all the Family vvas unexpreſſible, at the prodigious Dimenſions of them; […]

  3. Having the nature of an omen or portent

    Having the nature of an omen or portent; ominous, portentous.

    • [T]he blots of natures hand / Shall not in their iſſue ſtand. / Neuer mole, hare-lippe, nor ſcarre, / Nor marke prodigious, ſuch as are / Deſpiſed in natiuitie, / Shall vpon their children be.
  4. ›+ 1 more definition

    1. Synonym of prodigiously (“in a prodigious manner”).

      • I have fewer books than leisure to read them, and I have a prodigious big appetite.

The neighborhood

Derived

prodigiously, prodigiousness

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at prodigious. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

01prodigious02big03swelling04passion05true06exact07exceeding

A definitional loop anchored at prodigious. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

7 hops · closes at prodigious

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA