towering
Use Towering in a sentence
ər adjective
1.
very high or tall; lofty: a towering oak.
2.
surpassing others; very great: a towering figure in American poetry.
3.
rising to an extreme degree of violence or intensity: a towering rage.
4.
beyond the proper or usual limits; inordinate; excessive: towering pride; towering ambitions.
00:10
Towering
is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
noun
1.
a building or structure high in proportion to its lateral dimensions, either isolated or forming part of a building.
2.
such a structure used as or intended for a stronghold, fortress, prison, etc.
3.
any of various fully enclosed fireproof housings for vertical communications, as staircases, between the stories of a building.
4.
any structure, contrivance, or object that resembles or suggests a tower.
5.
a tall, movable structure used in ancient and medieval warfare in storming a fortified place.
6.
a tall, vertical case with accessible horizontal drive bays, designed to house a computer system standing on a desk or floor. Compare minitower.
7.
Aviation. control tower.
verb (used without object)
Idioms 8.
to rise or extend far upward, as a tower; reach or stand high: The skyscraper towers above the city.
9.
to rise above or surpass others: She towers above the other students.
10.
Falconry. (of a hawk) to rise straight into the air; to ring up.
11.
tower of strength, a person who can be relied on for support, aid, or comfort, especially in times of difficulty.
Origin:
before 900; (noun) Middle English tour, earlier tur, tor < Old French < Latin turris < Greek týrris, variant of týrsis tower; Middle English tor perhaps in some cases continuing Old English torr < Latin turris, as above; (v.) late Middle English touren, derivative of the noun
before 900; (noun) Middle English tour, earlier tur, tor < Old French < Latin turris < Greek týrris, variant of týrsis tower; Middle English tor perhaps in some cases continuing Old English torr < Latin turris, as above; (v.) late Middle English touren, derivative of the noun
Related forms
tow·er·less, adjective
tow·er·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To towering
Collins
World English Dictionary
tower (ˈtaʊə) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a tall, usually square or circular structure, sometimes part of a larger building and usually built for a specific purpose: a church tower; a control tower |
| 2. | a place of defence or retreat |
| 3. | a mobile structure used in medieval warfare to attack a castle, etc |
| 4. | tower of strength a person who gives support, comfort, etc |
| —vb | |
| 5. | (intr) to be or rise like a tower; loom |
| [C12: from Old French tur, from Latin turris, from Greek] | |
| towering (ˈtaʊərɪŋ) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | very tall; lofty |
| 2. | outstanding, as in importance or stature |
| 3. | (prenominal) very intense: a towering rage |
| 'toweringly | |
| —adv | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
tower
O.E. torr, from L. turris "high structure" (cf. O.Fr. tor, 11c.; Sp., It. torre "tower"), possibly from a pre-I.E. Mediterranean language. Also borrowed separately 13c. as tour, from O.Fr. tur. The modern spelling first recorded in 1520s. Meaning "lofty pile or mass" is recorded from mid-14c. The verb
is attested from c.1400.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Cite This Source
Example sentences
There was molten chocolate bubbling in vats towering above me, vats so huge that they had ladders running up their sides.
On the shore, towering silos have been painted red and reclaimed as industrial sculpture.
And plenty of skepticism and towering financial hurdles remain for all of these monster projects.
In the trading pits, towering ex-athletes with booming voices had an edge.
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