prodigious
/pɹəˈdɪd͡ʒəs/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.92 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
4
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
adj
adj
Example Sentences
- "VVhat am I? Old! or a Monſter! Is it ſo prodigious, that a Man ſhou'd like me?"
- "Prodigious! […] VVhat in the Name of VVonder hath brought you to England?"
- "Prodigious! hovv the Things Proteſt, Proteſt: / Peace, Fools! or Gonſon vvill for Papiſts ſeize you, / If once he catch you at your Jeſu! Jeſu!"
- "'[T]is a marvel of marvels that this man should be a mighty King and ready for war, after his slaughter of all the wise men of his kingdom and his counsellors and the captains of his host and that his realm should be populous and prosper after this and there should issue therefrom this prodigious power!"
- "A prodigious quantity of insects of all sorts (but no mosquitoes) assailed us at our evening meal."
- "Iohn Ponce aforeſaid [i.e., Juan Ponce de León] hearing a rumour of a prodigious vvell, vvhich (as the Poets tell of Medea) vvould make olde men become young againe, plaid the yongling to goe ſearch it ſix monethes together, and in that inquirie diſcouers this Continent: […]"
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per-der.? Proto-Indo-European *per-der.? Proto-Indo-European *pér Proto-Indo-European *-o Proto-Indo-European *pró Proto-Indo-European *pro- Proto-Italic *pro- Latin prō- Proto-Indo-European *h₁eǵ- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *h₁ǵyéti Proto-Italic *agjō Proto-Italic *ajjō Latin aiō Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -iusnom. Latin -ium Latin prōdigium Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *h₃édosder.? Proto-Italic *-ŏ̄dsos? Old Latin -ōssus Latin -ōsus Latin prōdigiōsusbor. Middle English prodigious English prodigious The adjective is derived from Late Middle English prodigious (“warning of disaster, portentous”), from Latin prōdigiōsus (“strange, unnatural; marvellous, wonderful, prodigious”), from prōdigium (“prophetic sign, omen, portent; prodigy, wonder”) + -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of’ forming adjectives from nouns). Prōdigium is derived from prō- (prefix denoting a forward direction, something before or prior, or prominence) + aiō (“to say, speak”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eǵ- (“to say”)) + -ium (suffix forming abstract nouns). The English word is analysable as prodigy + -ous. The adverb is derived from the adjective. Cognates * Catalan prodigiós * Middle French prodigieux (“portentous”) (modern French prodigieux) * Italian prodigioso * Portuguese prodigioso * Spanish prodigioso
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /pɹəˈdɪd͡ʒəs/
- British English: /pɹəˈdɪd͡ʒəs/
Usage
Inflected Forms
more prodigious (comparative)
most prodigious (superlative)