Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, celebrating the feats of a legendary or traditional hero.
  • noun A literary or dramatic composition that resembles an extended narrative poem celebrating heroic feats.
  • noun A series of events considered appropriate to an epic.
  • adjective Of, constituting, having to do with, or suggestive of a literary epic.
  • adjective Surpassing the usual or ordinary, particularly in scope or size.
  • adjective Heroic and impressive in quality.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Pertaining to or constituting an epos or heroic poem; narrating at length and in metrical form as a poetic whole with subordination of parts a series of heroic achievements or of events under supernatural guidance.
  • Hence Of heroic character or quality; bold in action; imposing.
  • noun A narrative poem of elevated character, describing generally the exploits of heroes; an epic poem. See I.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun An epic or heroic poem. See epic, a.
  • adjective Narrated in a grand style; pertaining to or designating a kind of narrative poem, usually called an heroic poem, in which real or fictitious events, usually the achievements of some hero, are narrated in an elevated style.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun An extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, celebrating the feats of a deity or demigod (heroic epic) or other legendary or traditional hero.
  • noun A series of events considered appropriate to an epic.
  • adjective Of, or relating to, an epic.
  • adjective Momentously heroic; grand in scale or character
  • adjective colloquial, slang, informal Extending beyond the usual or ordinary; extraordinary, momentous, great.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective very imposing or impressive; surpassing the ordinary (especially in size or scale)
  • adjective constituting or having to do with or suggestive of a literary epic
  • noun a long narrative poem telling of a hero's deeds

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From Latin epicus, from Greek epikos, from epos, word, song; see wekw- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin epicus, from Ancient Greek ἐπικός (epikos), from ἔπος (epos, "word, story").

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