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giant

 - 11 dictionary results

gi⋅ant

[jahy-uhnt]
–noun
1. (in folklore) a being with human form but superhuman size, strength, etc.
2. a person or thing of unusually great size, power, importance, etc.; major figure; legend: a giant in her field; an intellectual giant.
3. (often initial capital letter) Classical Mythology. any of the Gigantes.
4. Mining. monitor (def. 12).
5. Astronomy. giant star.
–adjective
6. unusually large, great, or strong; gigantic; huge.
7. greater or more eminent than others.

Origin:
1250–1300; ME geant < OF < L gigant- (s. of gigās) < Gk Gígās; r. OE gigant < L, as above


gi⋅ant⋅like, adjective

giant star

–noun
a star having a diameter of from 10 to 100 times that of the sun, as Arcturus or Aldebaran.
Also, giant.


Origin:
1910–15

mon⋅i⋅tor

[mon-i-ter]
–noun
1. a student appointed to assist in the conduct of a class or school, as to help take attendance or keep order.
2. a person appointed to supervise students, applicants, etc., taking an examination, chiefly to prevent cheating; proctor.
3. a person who admonishes, esp. with reference to conduct.
4. something that serves to remind or give warning.
5. a device or arrangement for observing, detecting, or recording the operation of a machine or system, esp. an automatic control system.
6. an instrument for detecting dangerous gases, radiation, etc.
7. Radio and Television.
a. a receiving apparatus used in a control room, esp. to provide a steady check of the quality of an audio or video transmission.
b. a similar apparatus placed in various parts of a studio so that an audience can watch a recorded portion of a show, the performer can see the various segments of a program, etc.
c. any such receiving apparatus used in a closed-circuit system, as in an operating room.
8. Computers.
a. a component, as a CRT, with a screen for viewing data at a computer terminal.
b. a control program. Compare operating system.
c. a group of systems used to measure the performance of a computer system.
9. Nautical.
a. a former U.S. steam-propelled, armored warship of very low freeboard, having one or more turrets and used for coastal defense.
b. (initial capital letter, italics) the first of such warships, used against the Confederate ironclad warship Merrimac at Hampton Roads, Va., in 1862.
10. a raised construction straddling the ridge of a roof and having windows or louvers for lighting or ventilating a building, as a factory or warehouse.
11. an articulated mounting for a nozzle, usually mechanically operated, which permits a stream of water to be played in any desired direction, as in firefighting or hydraulic mining.
12. Also called giant. (in hydraulic mining) a nozzle for dislodging and breaking up placer deposits with a jet of water.
13. any of various large lizards of the family Varanidae, of Africa, southern Asia, the East Indies, and Australia, fabled to give warning of the presence of crocodiles: several species are endangered.
–verb (used with object)
14. Radio and Television.
a. to listen to (transmitted signals) on a receiving set in order to check the quality of the transmission.
b. to view or listen to (television or radio transmissions) in order to check the quality of the video or audio.
c. to listen to (a radio conversation or channel); keep tuned to.
15. to observe, record, or detect (an operation or condition) with instruments that have no effect upon the operation or condition.
16. to oversee, supervise, or regulate: to monitor the administering of a test.
17. to watch closely for purposes of control, surveillance, etc.; keep track of; check continually: to monitor one's eating habits.
–verb (used without object)
18. to serve as a monitor, detector, supervisor, etc.

Origin:
1540–50; < L: prompter, adviser, equiv. to moni-, var. s. of monēre to remind, advise, warn + -tor -tor


mon⋅i⋅tor⋅ship, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To giant
gi·ant   (jī'ənt)   
n.  
    1. A person or thing of great size.

    2. A person or thing of extraordinary power, significance, or importance: a giant in the field of physics; automotive industry giants.

    3. Greek Mythology One of a race of humanlike beings of enormous strength and stature who were destroyed in battle with the Olympians.

    4. A being in folklore or myth similar to one of these beings.

    1. Greek Mythology One of a race of humanlike beings of enormous strength and stature who were destroyed in battle with the Olympians.

    2. A being in folklore or myth similar to one of these beings.

adj.  Marked by exceptionally great size, magnitude, or power: a giant wave; a giant impact.

[Middle English, from Old French geant, jaiant, from Vulgar Latin *gagās, *gagant-, from Latin gigās, from Greek.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

giant 
1297, from O.Fr. geant, from V.L. *gagantem (nom. gagas), from L. gigas "giant," from Gk. gigas (gen. gigantos), one of a race of savage beings, sons of Gaia and Uranus, eventually destroyed by the gods, probably from a pre-Gk. language. Replaced O.E. ent, eoten. The Gk. word was used in Septuagint to refer to men of great size and strength, hence the expanded use in modern languages. Gigantic (1612) replaced earlier gigantine.
"In þat tyme wer here non hauntes Of no men bot of geauntes." [Wace's Chronicle, c.1330]

monitor 
1546, "senior pupil at a school charged with keeping order, etc.," from L. monitor "one who reminds, admonishes, or checks," from monere "to admonish, warn, advise," related to memini "I remember, I am mindful of," and to mens "mind," from PIE base *men- "to think" (see mind (n.)). The lizard so called because it is supposed to give warning of crocodiles (1826). Meaning "squat, slow-moving type of ironclad warship" (1862) so called from name of the first vessel of this design, chosen by Capt. Ericsson because it was meant to "admonish" the Confederate leaders in the U.S. Civil War. Broadcasting sense of "a device to continuously check on the technical quality of a transmission" (1931) led to special sense of "a TV screen displaying the picture from a particular camera." The verb is attested from 1924.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 2monitor
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: mon·i·tored; mon·i·tor·ing /'män-&t-&-ri[ng], 'män-&-tri[ng]/
1 : to watch, observe, or check closely or continuously <monitor a patient's vital signs>
2 : to test for intensity of radiations especially if due to radioactivity
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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monitor mon·i·tor (mŏn'ĭ-tər)
n.
A usually electronic device used to record, regulate, or control a process or system. v. mon·i·tored, mon·i·tor·ing, mon·i·tors

    The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
    Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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    Science Dictionary
    giant star  
    A very large, bright non-main-sequence star that burns hydrogen at a much faster rate than a dwarf star. Giant stars are much more luminous and have shorter lifespans than the slower-burning dwarfs. The larger the giant, the shorter its lifespan; the largest stars, with solar mass of around 100, blaze at several hundred thousand times the energy of the Sun and will last only a few million years, a very brief time when compared with the Sun's 10-billion-year lifespan. Giant stars usually end their lives as supernovae , but even before that event the immense ultraviolet radiation they produce has a dramatic impact on their stellar surroundings; the presence of a giant star in a star system prevents the formation of new protostars because the radiation from the giant star breaks apart any nearby nebulae.
    monitor   (mŏn'ĭ-tər)  Pronunciation Key 
    A device that accepts video signals from a computer and displays information on a screen. Monitors generally employ cathode-ray tubes or flat-panel displays to project the image. See Note at pixel.
    The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
    Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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    Encyclopedia

    giant

    in folklore, huge mythical being, usually humanlike in form. The term derives (through Latin) from the Giants (Gigantes) of Greek mythology, who were monstrous, savage creatures often depicted with men's bodies terminating in serpentine legs. According to the Greek poet Hesiod, they were sons of Ge ("Earth") and Uranus ("Heaven"). The Gigantomachy was a desperate struggle between the Giants and the Olympians. The gods finally prevailed through the aid of Heracles the archer, and the Giants were slain. Many of them were believed to lie buried under mountains and to indicate their presence by volcanic fires and earthquakes. The Gigantomachy became a popular artistic theme (found, for example, on the frieze adorning the great altar at Pergamum), and it was interpreted as a symbol of the triumph of Hellenism over barbarism, of good over evil.

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    Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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