adjective / noun
mammoth
MAM-uhth/mˈæmʌθ/
An extinct large elephant with curved tusks.
The mammoth stands on snowy ground, its long tusks curving upward.
Etymology
The animal name supplied an image of enormous size. Its adjective use transferred that scale to other things, with early examples describing an exceptionally large cheese sent to President Jefferson.
In context
this mammoth cake the mothership of a flotilla of cakes sent out to those who couldn't be in london for the big day [Music] the cake is sensational it's nine feet in circumference
More examples
- Scientists uncover a mammoth tusk in the frozen ground.
- The illustration shows woolly mammoths grazing on a grassy plain.
- Some mammoths survived until about 4,000 years ago.
Forms
mammoth · mammoths
Similar words
- elephant
- A broader term that usually refers to living species.