prodigious

From Middle French prodigieux, from Latin prōdigiōsus (“unnatural, strange, wonderful, marvelous”), from prōdigium (“an omen, portent, monster”). Morphologically prodigy +‎ -ous.

• IPA^(key): /pɹəˈdɪd͡ʒəs/
• Rhymes: -ɪdʒəs

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prodigious (comparative more prodigious, superlative most prodigious)

1. Very big in size or quantity; colossal, gigantic, huge.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:large

   • 1712, Humphry Polesworth [pseudonym; John Arbuthnot], “How ’’John’’ Look’d Over His Attorney’s Bill”, in Law is a Bottomless-Pit. […], London: […] John Morphew, […], →OCLC, page 20:

     When John firſt brought out the Bills, the Surprize of all the Family was unexpreſſible, at the prodigious Dimenſions of them; […]

   • 1749, [John Cleland], “(Please specify the letter or volume)”, in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], London: […] G. Fenton [i.e., Fenton and Ralph Griffiths] […], →OCLC:

     Its prodigious size made me shrink again; yet I could not, without pleasure, behold, and even ventur'd to feel, such a length, such a breadth of animated ivory!

   • 1820, William Hazlitt, “Lecture I. Introductory.”, in Lectures Chiefly on the Dramatic Literature of the Age of Elizabeth. […], London: Stodart and Steuart, […]; Edinburgh: Bell and Bradfute, →OCLC, page 2:

     [T]hey were not the spoiled children of affectation and refinement, but a bold, vigorous, independent race of thinkers, with prodigious strength and energy, with none but natural grace, and heartfelt unobtrusive delicacy.

2. Extraordinarily amazing or exciting.
3. Freakish; monstrous.
4. Extremely talented, especially at a young age.
5. (obsolete) Ominous, portentous.

• prodigiously

• “prodigious”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “prodigious”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “prodigious”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.