behemoth
pronunciation
How to pronounce behemoth in British English:
UK [bɪˈhi:mɒθ]
How to pronounce behemoth in American English:
US [bɪˈhimɔθ]
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- Noun:
- someone or something that is abnormally large and powerful
- a person of exceptional importance and reputation
Word Origin
- behemoth (n.)
- late 14c., huge biblical beast (Job xl:15), from Latin behemoth, from Hebrew b'hemoth, usually taken as plural of intensity of b'hemah "beast." But the Hebrew word is perhaps a folk etymology of Egyptian pehemau, literally "water-ox," the name for the hippopotamus. Long before Jumbo was dreamed of, a hippo was exhibited by George K. Bailey, who invented the tank on wheels now used so generally in the circuses. The beast was advertised as "the blood sweating Behemoth of Holy Writ," and he made several men rich. [Isaac F. Marcosson, "Sawdust and Gold Dust," in "The Bookman," June 1910]
Example
- 1. And now google looks on the behemoth and shakes with fear .
- 2. China may be a behemoth , but it is not a dinosaur .
- 3. Yet expecting decisive change from congress 's behemoth is probably a fantasy .
- 4. Google may be a behemoth , but its market share is more fragile than you would think .
- 5. China is fast becoming the behemoth of the global economy ; it already produces one-quarter of global production .