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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 See all Example Sentences for elephantine 

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 30 Dec. 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

More from Merriam-Webster on elephantine

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!