great
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also great-
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English [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From Middle English greet (“great, large”), from Old English grēat (“big, thick, coarse, stour, massive”), from Proto-Germanic *grautaz (“big in size, coarse, coarse grained”), from Proto-Indo-European *ghrewə- (“to fell, put down, fall in”). Cognate with Scots great (“coarse in grain or texture, thick, great”), West Frisian grut (“large, great”), Dutch groot (“large, stour”), German groß (“large”), Old English grēot (“earth, sand, grit”), Latin grandis (“great,big”), Albanian ngre (“I lift, heave, stand, elevate”). More at grit.
Pronunciation [edit]
Adjective [edit]
great (comparative greater, superlative greatest)
- Very big, large scale.
- A great storm is approaching our shores.
- Very good.
- Dinner was great.
- Important.
- Title referring to an important leader.
- Alexander the Great
Usage notes [edit]
In simple situations, using modifiers of intensity such as fairly, somewhat, etc. can lead to an awkward construction, with the exception of certain common expressions such as “so great” and “really great”. In particular “very great” is unusually strong as a reaction, and in many cases “great” or its meaning of “very good” will suffice.
Synonyms [edit]
- See also Wikisaurus:large
- See also Wikisaurus:excellent
Derived terms [edit]
terms derived using great (adjective)
Translations [edit]
very big, large scale
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very good
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important — see important
important title
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
Interjection [edit]
great
- Expression of gladness and content about something.
- Great! Thanks for the wonderful work.
- sarcastic inversion thereof.
- Oh, great! I just dumped all 500 sheets of the manuscript all over and now I have to put them back in order.
Translations [edit]
great!
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Noun [edit]
great (plural greats)
- A person of major significance, accomplishment or acclaim.
- Newton and Einstein are two of the greats of the history of science.
- (typographically plural, grammatically singular proper noun) A course of academic study devoted to the works of such persons and also known as Literae Humaniores; the "Greats" name has official status with respect to Oxford University's program and is widely used as a colloquialism in reference to similar programs elsewhere.
- Spencer read Greats at Oxford, taking a starred first.
Translations [edit]
Adverb [edit]
great (not comparable)
- very well (in a very satisfactory manner)
- Those mechanical colored pencils work great because they don't have to be sharpened.
Translations [edit]
very well
Derived terms [edit]
compound terms
Statistics [edit]
Anagrams [edit]
Old English [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From Proto-Germanic *grautaz (“big in size, coarse, coarse grained”), from Proto-Indo-European *ghrewə- (“to fell, put down, fall in”). Cognate with Old Saxon grōt (“large, thick, coarse, stour”), Old High German grōz (“large, thick, coarse”), Old English grot (“particle”). More at groat.
Adjective [edit]
grēat
Descendants [edit]
Scots [edit]
Alternative forms [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From Old English grēat, from Proto-Germanic *grautaz.
Pronunciation [edit]
Adjective [edit]
great (comparative greater, superlative greatest)
Categories:
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms with homophones
- English adjectives
- English interjections
- English nouns
- English adverbs
- 200 English basic words
- Old English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Old English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Old English adjectives
- Scots terms derived from Old English
- Scots terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Scots adjectives
