mammoth
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.extremely large, huge, or very important.
adj.denoting something of enormous size, scale, or importance; often used to describe tasks or physical structures.
Simple“Cleaning up the city after the big storm was a mammoth task.”
In context“The government faced a mammoth challenge in restructuring the national debt while simultaneously funding essential public services.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a large, hairy animal like an elephant that lived a long time ago during the ice age.
n.any extinct elephantine mammal of the genus Mammuthus, typically characterized by long, curved tusks and a coat of long hair.
Simple“Scientists found the bones of a woolly mammoth frozen in the ice.”
In context“Paleontologists recently unearthed a remarkably well-preserved mammoth skeleton, providing new insights into the migratory patterns of Pleistocene megafauna.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
n.a person or thing that is much larger or more powerful than others of the same type.
n.a person, organization, or thing of exceptional size, power, or influence within its field.
Simple“The new tech company has grown into a corporate mammoth.”
In context“By the end of the decade, the small startup had transformed into a global mammoth, dominating the telecommunications industry through aggressive acquisitions.”
“This has led to unusual discoveries on the river bed, including the bones of a mammoth in Bulgaria and a sunken WW2 warship in Serbia.”
“Its unusual thickness indicates that it came from either an elephant or a mammoth.”
From obsolete Russian ма́мант (mámant), modern ма́монт (mámont), probably from a Uralic word, such as Proto-Mansi *mān-oŋt (“earth horn”). Possibly influenced by behemoth. Adjectival use was popularized in the early 1800s by references to the Cheshire Mammoth Cheese presented to American paleontologist and president Thomas Jefferson.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.