Elephantine

Pronunciation: /ɛləfæntaɪn/

Definitions of elephantine

adjective relating to or resembling an elephant in size, shape, or characteristics

Example Sentences

A1 The elephantine creature lumbered through the jungle.

A2 The elephantine size of the vehicle made it difficult to navigate narrow streets.

B1 The elephantine statue stood majestically in the town square.

B2 The elephantine weight of the book caused the shelf to bow.

C1 The elephantine bureaucracy of the government slowed down the process.

C2 The elephantine task of organizing the event required meticulous planning.

Examples of elephantine in a Sentence

formal The elephantine creature lumbered through the dense jungle, its massive size commanding attention.

informal Dang, that elephantine sandwich you made is huge!

slang I can't believe how elephantine that guy's car is, it's like a tank!

figurative The elephantine task of organizing the event seemed daunting at first, but with teamwork, we managed to pull it off.

Grammatical Forms of elephantine

• past tense: elephantined
• plural: elephantines
• comparative: more elephantine
• superlative: most elephantine
• present tense: is elephantine
• future tense: will be elephantine
• perfect tense: has been elephantine
• continuous tense: is being elephantine
• singular: elephantine
• positive degree: elephantine
• infinitive: to be elephantine
• gerund: being elephantine
• participle: elephantining

Origin and Evolution of elephantine

First Known Use: 1601 year

Language of Origin: Latin and Greek

Story behind the word: The word 'elephantine' originated from the Latin word 'elephantinus', which is derived from the Greek word 'elephantinos' meaning 'pertaining to elephants'.

Evolution of the word: Originally used to describe something related to or resembling an elephant in size or appearance, the word 'elephantine' has evolved to also describe something ponderous, clumsy, or massive in a figurative sense.