1 elephantine | Definition of elephantine

elephantine

adjective
el路​e路​phan路​tine | \ 藢e-l蓹-藞fan-藢t膿n How to pronounce elephantine (audio) , -藢t墨n, 藞e-l蓹-f蓹n-\

Definition of elephantine

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1a : having enormous size or strength : massive
b : clumsy, ponderous elephantine verse
2 : of or relating to an elephant

Elephantine

geographical name
El路​e路​phan路​ti路​ne | \ 藢e-l蓹-藢fan-藞t墨-n膿 How to pronounce Elephantine (audio) , -f蓹n-, -藞t膿-\

Definition of Elephantine (Entry 2 of 2)

island in the Nile River opposite Asw芒n in southern Egypt population 1814

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Examples of elephantine in a Sentence

Adjective

He has an elephantine ego. the wedding reception was held under an elephantine tent on the great lawn

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

But Mr Trump also feels unbound by agreements, oral or otherwise, made by previous governments, a blow to China and its elephantine capacity for remembering ancient half-promises. The Economist, "Why Chinese officials like useless meetings in over-stuffed chairs," 1 Aug. 2019 My book manuscript was due to my editor in less than a year, but marshaling my despondent, wildly bereft thoughts for the purposes of creative work seemed a hurdle too elephantine to overcome. Rachel Vorona Cote, SELF, "Why I Embraced Skin Care After My Mother's Death," 18 Apr. 2019 Put another way, how to engage in a covert propaganda campaign aimed at Trump, without upsetting his elephantine ego? New York Times, "First Canada Tried to Charm Trump. Now It鈥檚 Fighting Back.," 9 June 2018 And then there was the elephantine object in the room. Mark Swed, latimes.com, "'Das Paradies': A giant globular tear as ticket to heaven," 4 June 2018 In town, the greengrocer finds a fuzzy, marmot-like creature with elephantine ears in a crate of oranges. Frances Leech, Longreads, "Forgetting the Madeleine," 3 May 2018 Perry鈥檚 soloing was a melodic, piercing howl atop the latter鈥檚 elephantine riff. Marc Hirsh, BostonGlobe.com, "Joe Perry rocks his way at House of Blues," 19 Apr. 2018 Trimming those 20 minutes may have been the more commercial decision and also the more palatable one for the festival, which has a history of reining in directors and their elephantine running times. Justin Chang, latimes.com, "'Ismael's Ghosts' is a messy but vibrant drama from French director Arnaud Desplechin," 5 Apr. 2018 The advertisements alone are like hieroglyphs: endless full pages selling elephantine audio equipment, brands of beer, cigarettes, fountain pens. Josephine Livingstone, New Republic, "Hugh Hefner Was Never The Star of Playboy," 29 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'elephantine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of elephantine

Adjective

1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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More Definitions for elephantine

elephantine

adjective