noun
colossus
kuh-LAH-sus/kəˈlɑːsəs/
A person or thing of extraordinary size.
The stone colossus towers over the visitors at its base.
Etymology
The gigantic statue became a figurative image for a person or thing of awesome greatness, whether in size, power, or importance. The Greek word’s earlier origin is unknown.
In context
A colossus that stretched from the windswept moors of northern Britain to the sunbaked deserts of Arabia.
More examples
- Beside the other wrestlers, he looks like a colossus.
- The new crane is a steel colossus on the skyline.
- These cargo ships are colossi beside the fishing boats.
Forms
colossus · colossi · colossuses
colossal adjective — Extremely large in size or scale.