behemoth

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“
Jealous, tyrannical and vicious, this creature--referred to as a behemoth--is in all conscience unsavoury enough; but no one can read his story without feeling that he never had a dog's chance; and although the tale is in many respects well-told, I feel that it would have been vastly improved if some redeeming qualities had been vouchsafed to the villain of the piece.

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Definitions (6)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. noun Something enormous in size or power.
  2. noun A huge animal, possibly the hippopotamus, described in the Bible.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (1)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

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Examples (50)

  • The woman was revived by the fluttering attentions of her companions only to faint dead away as a towering behemoth, his skin the rich hue of ebony, strode past in stoic silence. —  Teresa Medeiros - Thief of Hearts
  • This behemoth is getting ready to celebrate its 60th birthday in the twin cities of Strasbourg —  CounterPunch
  • Whether you're a business behemoth, a fresh franchisee, or one-man-band consultant, the appropriate business card is a must. —  Find Free Articles - ArticlesBase
  • On a busy day for the New York-headquartered behemoth, a five-year co-promotion deal has been signed with eye care giant Bausch & Lomb to sell prescription ophthalmic products in the USA. —  PharmaTimes World News
  • Though visible only through lenses of the most powerful microscopes, comparing most other biological molecules to this behemoth is like comparing a tricycle to a jumbo jet.
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Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English behemoth, bemoth, from Hebrew bəhēmôt, pl. of bəhēmâ, beast; see bhm in Semitic roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. from Hebrew b'hemōth, apparently plural of excellence, ‘great beast,’ singular b'hēmah, a beast, but supposed to be an adaptation of Egyptian p-ehe-mau, literally water-ox.
 

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/biˈhiməθ/
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