giant的词源

英文词源

giant (n.)

c. 1300, "fabulous man-like creature of enormous size," from Old French geant, earlier jaiant "giant, ogre" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *gagantem (nominative gagas), from Latin gigas "a giant," from Greek Gigas (usually in plural, Gigantes), one of a race of pine but savage and monstrous beings (personifying destructive natural forces), sons of Gaia and Uranus, eventually destroyed by the gods. The word is of unknown origin, probably from a pre-Greek language. Derivation from gegenes "earth-born" is considered untenable.

In þat tyme wer here non hauntes Of no men bot of geauntes. [Wace's Chronicle, c. 1330]

It replaced Old English ent, eoten, also gigant (from Latin). The Greek word was used in Septuagint to refer to men of great size and strength, hence the expanded use in modern languages; in English of very tall and unusually large persons from 1550s; of persons who have any quality in extraordinary degree from 1530s. As a class of stars, from 1912. As an adjective from early 15c. Giant-killer is from 1726.

中文词源

giant（巨大的）：希腊神话中的巨人族癸干忒斯

天神乌拉诺斯被其子克洛诺斯阉割时，溅出的精血洒落在大地女神盖亚身上，使盖亚诞生了巨人族癸干忒斯（gigantes），他们个个身材巨大，长发长须，大腿之上为人形，以两条蛇尾为足，因此也称为蛇足巨人，相传共有150人。他们还有一种特别的属性，那就是无法被神杀死。

第三代神王宙斯率领奥林巴斯诸神打败了泰坦诸神以及提丰，并将泰坦诸神禁锢在地狱深渊，这引发了大地女神的不满。在大地女神盖亚的鼓动下，癸干忒斯巨人以岩石和燃烧的栎树为武器，向奥林巴斯诸神发起了进攻，史称“癸干忒斯之战”。在战争中，奥林巴斯诸神得到一个预言，说只能在一个凡人的帮助 下，才能击败巨人族。因此，宙斯通过雅典娜找来了凡间最伟大的英雄赫拉克勒斯。盖亚知道后，就想寻找一种草药，为巨人族增加法力，使其对凡人的攻击也产生 免疫力。然而，宙斯抢先一步把草药采走了。大英雄赫拉克勒斯利用精湛的射术，射杀了众多巨人。在他的帮助下，奥林巴斯诸神终于打败了癸干忒斯巨人。

癸干忒斯的希腊语原意是“盖亚所生的”。从其名字gigantes中演变出了giant、gigantic等单词。

giant：['dʒaɪənt]n.巨人adj.巨大的。由gigant去掉g直接产生。

gigantic：[dʒaɪ'gæntɪk] adj.巨大的。ic是形容词后缀。

该词的英语词源请访问趣词词源英文版：giant 词源，giant 含义。

giant：巨人

来自希腊语gigas, 巨大，词源同gigabyte.