large
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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Etymology
From Middle English large, from Old French large, from Latin larga, feminine of largus (“abundant, plentiful, copious, large, much”), of uncertain ultimate origin; see there for more. Mostly displaced Middle English stoor, stour (“large, great”) (from Old English stōr) and muchel (“large, great”) (from Old English myċel).
Pronunciation
Adjective
large (comparative larger, superlative largest)
- Of considerable or relatively great size or extent.
- Russia is a large country. The fruit-fly has large eyes for its body size. He has a large collection of stamps.
- 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter II, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
- We drove back to the office with some concern on my part at the prospect of so large a case. Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke.
- (especially clothing, food or drink) That is large (the manufactured size).
- (obsolete) Abundant; ample.
- 1667, John Milton, “Book V”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
- We have yet large day.
- (archaic) Full in statement; diffuse; profuse.
- 1485, Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur Book XX, Chapter xj, leaf 408r-v:
- And where hit please yow to saye that I haue holden my lady youre Quene yeres and wynters / vnto that I shal euer make a large ansuer
"And where it please you to say that I have holden my lady your queen years and winters, unto that I shall ever make a large answer"
- 1711, Henry Felton, Dissertation on Reading the Classics:
- I might be very large upon the importance and advantages of education.
- (obsolete) Free; unencumbered.
- 1600, [Torquato Tasso], “(please specify |book=1 to 20)”, in Edward Fairefax [i.e., Edward Fairfax], transl., Godfrey of Bulloigne, or The Recouerie of Ierusalem. […], London: […] Ar[nold] Hatfield, for I[saac] Iaggard and M[atthew] Lownes, →OCLC:
- Of burdens all he set the Paynims large.
- (obsolete) Unrestrained by decorum; said of language.
- 1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii]:
- Some large jests he will make.
- (nautical) Crossing the line of a ship's course in a favorable direction; said of the wind when it is abeam, or between the beam and the quarter.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Derived terms
- as large as life
- binary large object
- bulk large
- by and large
- diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
- enlarge
- extra extra extra large
- extra extra large
- extra-large
- extra large
- give it large
- go large
- have it large
- Khitan large script
- large and in charge
- large-billed scrubwren
- large blue
- large bonito
- large bowel
- large breasts
- large cap
- large charge
- large chequered skipper
- large cruiser
- large format
- large grizzled skipper
- large group awareness training
- large-group awareness training
- large-handed
- large-handedly
- large-handedness
- large-headed rice rat
- large-headed water snake
- large-hearted
- large-heartedly
- large-heartedness
- large heath
- large igneous province
- large intestine
- large it
- large it up
- large language model
- large leaf-eating ladybird
- large light cruiser
- largely
- large-minded
- largen
- largeness
- large offspring syndrome
- large quasar group
- larger than life
- large scale
- large-scale
- large scale integration
- large seal script
- large-sized
- large skipper
- largesome
- large-tailed antshrike
- large-toothed aspen
- large tortoiseshell
- large twayblade
- large white
- largish
- law of large numbers
- live large
- loom large
- programming in the large
- to a large extent
- ultra large crude carrier
- ultra large scale integration
- very large crude carrier
- very-large-scale integration
- very large scale integration
- writ large
Translations
of greater size — see also big
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Noun
large (countable and uncountable, plural larges)
- (music, obsolete) An old musical note, equal to two longas, four breves, or eight semibreves.
- Synonyms: maxima, octuple whole note
- (obsolete) Liberality, generosity.
- (slang, plural: large) A thousand dollars/pounds.
- Synonym: grand
- Getting a car tricked out like that will cost you 50 large.
- 1991, Stephen King, Needful Things:
- "We'll call you anything we want," Dave said. "You owe us eighty-five large, Ace, and what we've got for collateral on that money so far is a shitload of Arm & Hammer baking soda worth about a buck-fifty. We'll call you Hubert J. Motherfucker if we want to."
- 2008 January 13, David Simon, “Unconfirmed Reports” (30:16 from the start), in The Wire, season 2, episode 2, spoken by Avon Barksdale:
- So send my sister a hundred large, and next time you come down to Jessup it won't be my grill talking at you. My word on that.
- (uncountable, especially clothing, food or drink) One of several common sizes to which an item may be manufactured.
- Synonym: L
- (countable, especially clothing, food or drink) An item labelled or denoted as being that size.
- One small coffee and two larges, please.
- (countable, especially with respect to clothing) One who fits an item of that size.
Derived terms
Adverb
large
- (nautical) Before the wind.
Further reading
- “large”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “large”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
Anagrams
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Etymology
Inherited from Old French large, from Latin largus, larga, largum (“abundant, plentiful, copious, large, much”). The feminine is inherited, but for the masculine, Latin largum (the masculine and neuter accusative) developed into Old French larc, which was discarded.
Pronunciation
Adjective
large (plural larges)
Derived terms
- de long en large
- en long en large
- large d’esprit
- ratisser large
Related terms
Descendants
- → Persian: لارژ (lârž)
Noun
large m (plural larges)
Derived terms
Descendants
Further reading
- “large”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams
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Etymology 1
Adverb
largē (comparative largius, superlative largissimē)
- munificently, generously, liberally.
- abundantly, copiously.
- to a great extent.
Etymology 2
Adjective
large
References
- “large”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “large”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
Etymology
From Old French large, from Latin largus (“abundant, plentiful, copious, large, much”).
Adjective
large m or f
Derived terms
- large d'bord, large d'run (“broad in the beam”)
- largement (“widely”)
Noun
large m (plural larges)
- (Jersey, nautical) open sea, deep sea
- Synonym: plieine mé
Alternative forms
- larc (Roman de Renard, "wide")
Etymology
From Latin largus, larga.
Adjective
large m (oblique and nominative feminine singular large)
Descendants
References
- Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IXe au XVe siècle (1881) (large, supplement)
- large on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub
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