big

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Etymology 1.2 Pronunciation 1.3 Adjective 1.3.1 Synonyms 1.3.2 Antonyms 1.3.3 Derived terms 1.3.4 Translations 1.4 Noun 1.5 Anagrams 2 Dutch 2.1 Pronunciation 2.2 Noun 3 Irish 3.1 Pronunciation 3.2 Adjective 4 Italian 4.1 Noun 5 Scots 5.1 Etymology 5.2 Pronunciation 5.3 Verb 6 Torres Strait Creole 6.1 Etymology 6.2 Adjective 6.2.1 Derived terms 7 Western Apache 7.1 Pronunciation 7.2 Etymology 7.3 Noun 7.3.1 Usage notes

[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

From northern Middle English dialect big, bigge (“‘powerful, strong’”), of uncertain origin, possibly from a dialect of Old Norse.

[edit] Pronunciation

• IPA: /bɪɡ/
•  Audio (US)^{help, file}
• Rhymes: -ɪɡ

[edit] Adjective

big (comparative bigger, superlative biggest)

1. Of a great size; large; the weakest sense of great size.

   Elephants are big animals, and they eat a lot.

2. Of an industry or other field: Thought to have undue influence.

   There were concerns about the ethics of big science.

3. Popular.

   That style is very big right now in Europe, especially among teenagers.

4. (informal) Adult.

   Kids should get help from big people if they want to use the kitchen.

5. (informal) Fat.

   Gosh, she is big!

6. (informal) Important or significant.

   What's so big about that? I do it all the time.

7. (informal) (construed with on) Enthusiastic (about).

   I'm not big on the idea, but if you want to go ahead with it, I won't stop you.

[edit] Synonyms

• (of a great size): ample, huge, large, sizeable, jumbo, massive
• (adult): adult, fully grown, grown up
• See also Wikisaurus:big

[edit] Antonyms

• (of a great size): little, small, tiny, minuscule, miniature, minute
• (adult): little, young

[edit] Derived terms

[edit] Translations

[edit] Noun

big (plural bigs)

1. An important or powerful person; a celebrity; a big name.

[edit] Anagrams

• Alphagram: bgi
• GBI
• gib

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[edit] Dutch

[edit] Pronunciation

•  audio^{help, file}

[edit] Noun

big m. and f. (plural biggen, diminutive biggetje, diminutive plural biggetjes)

1. piglet, little pig

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[edit] Irish

[edit] Pronunciation

• IPA: [bʲɪɟ]

[edit] Adjective

big

1. Genitive singular masculine of beag.

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
big	bhig	mbig
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

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[edit] Italian

[edit] Noun

big m. inv.

1. star (entertainment)
2. big shot, big noise

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[edit] Scots

[edit] Etymology

From Old Norse byggja (“‘inhabit, build’”).

[edit] Pronunciation

• IPA: /bɪɡ/

[edit] Verb

tae big (third-person singular simple present bigs, present participle biggin, simple past biggit, past participle biggit)

1. to build

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[edit] Torres Strait Creole

[edit] Etymology

From English big, cognate with (the first part of) Bislama bikfala, bigfala, Pijin bigfala, Tok Pisin bikpela.

[edit] Adjective

big

1. big

[edit] Derived terms

• big boil
• big maut
• big ren
• big taun
• big wata
• big win

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[edit] Western Apache

[edit] Pronunciation

• IPA: [pɪ̀k]

[edit] Etymology

From Proto-Athabascan *-wə̓t̕.

Cognates: Navajo -bid, Plains Apache -bid.

[edit] Noun

big (inalienable, e.g., shibig "my belly", bibig "her/his/their belly")

1. belly, stomach, abdomen

[edit] Usage notes

• The form -big occurs in the White Mountain varieties; -bid occurs in San Carlos and Dilze’eh (Tonto).