elephantine

adjective

el·​e·​phan·​tine ˌe-lə-ˈfan-ˌtēn How to pronounce elephantine (audio)
-ˌtīn,
ˈe-lə-fən-
1
a
: having enormous size or strength : massive
b
: clumsy, ponderous
elephantine verse
2
: of or relating to an elephant

Examples of elephantine in a Sentence

He has an elephantine ego. the wedding reception was held under an elephantine tent on the great lawn
Recent Examples on the Web The elephantine dance is constant: Each load is dumped, pushed, and dropped into a pit immense enough to hold 15,000 tons of waste (more than the city’s entire daily output). Curbed, 12 Aug. 2022 Any attempt to resurrect the mammoth faces an elephantine gauntlet of challenges, including the DNA-shattering effects of frost and time, and the rather unhelpful reproductive tract of the eventual surrogate parent—the elephant. Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 6 June 2012 Those boxy fender extensions are open in the rear to channel dirty air coming off the wheels, while a carbon-composite front splitter and an elephantine carbon-fiber rear wing glue the Corolla to the road. Caleb Miller, Car and Driver, 1 Nov. 2022 To suggest that Jeep's seven- or eight-passenger Wagoneer L/Grand Wagoneer L twins are elephantine is to libel pachyderms. John Phillips, Car and Driver, 11 Oct. 2022 The life of a mastodon, an elephantine creature that roamed across North America 13,000 years ago, has been illuminated by a study of its tusks. Katie Hunt, CNN, 18 June 2022 Tweaks to its air springs and adaptive dampers lessen this elephantine SUV's body motions with little sacrifice to its ride quality. Greg Fink, Car and Driver, 13 June 2022 In the wet season, elephantine clouds roll in from the Congolese interior and the land glows with startling fecundity. Outside Online, 18 May 2015 Pop goddesses were not diving from the rafters and guitar heroes were not casting elephantine shadows. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'elephantine.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of elephantine was in 1610

Dictionary Entries Near elephantine

Elephantidae

elephantine

Elephantine

Cite this Entry

“Elephantine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elephantine. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

elephantine

adjective
el·​e·​phan·​tine ˌel-ə-ˈfan-ˌtēn How to pronounce elephantine (audio)
-ˌtīn,
ˈel-ə-fən-
1
a
: very big : huge, massive
b
: lacking grace
2
: of or relating to an elephant

Geographical Definition

Elephantine

geographical name

El·​e·​phan·​ti·​ne ˌe-lə-ˌfan-ˈtī-nē How to pronounce Elephantine (audio)
-fən-,
-ˈtē-
island in the Nile River opposite Aswân in southern Egypt population 1814

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