Make Your Point > Archived Issues > BEHEMOTH

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pronounce BEHEMOTH: Several pronunciations are correct. I suggest "buh HEE muth." To hear it, click here. connect this word to others: As we check out the fun, dramatic word behemoth, see if you can recall two equally exciting synonyms: A le_____an is a sea monster or an oversized ship, or anything big and powerful enough to remind you of either. And a j_____naut is an oversized vehicle, or anything big and powerful enough to crush people or inspire stupid admiration. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)     definition: You can trace the word "behemoth" back through Latin to Hebrew, to a word meaning "beast." In English, it first popped up in the Bible, in Chapter 40 of the Book of Job. Check it out:    15 Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox.    16 Lo now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly.    17 He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together.    18 His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron. Many readers imagine that this behemoth is a hippopotamus. That makes sense, especially when you get to this line:    23 Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth. So, if you call something a behemoth, you mean it's something enormous, strong, and terrifying, like a hippo-like biblical beast. grammatical bits: Part of speech: Noun, the countable kind: "The book Infinite Jest is a behemoth, with 1,079 pages. No, I haven't read it, but I've used it as a weight." Other forms:  The plural is "behemoths." You can use "behemoth" like an adjective, as in "these behemoth corporations" or "a behemoth cruise ship." But there's also a fun, rare, poetic adjective: "behemothian." Say it "bee hee MO thee yun." how to use it: "Behemoth" is a semi-common word: common enough to be clearly understood, and uncommon enough to be quite emphatic.  So whenever you want to compare some huge (or hugely powerful) person or thing to a heaving, hippo-like biblical beast, call it a behemoth.  Is that compliment? It depends! If we call Microsoft a behemoth, we're saying it's powerful enough to chomp up other computer companies. The New York Times called Discovery "a cable television behemoth" and referred to Facebook as "a behemoth, acquiring dozens of companies and extending its influence across the internet." In all those examples, "behemoth" suggests great size and power. But if we call a person a behemoth, or a cat, we're just saying they're enormous, which might be an insult or just a neutral description. examples: "Amazon. The online behemoth that does everything from sell groceries to renting server space is in the content game in a big way."    — Paul MacInnes, The Guardian, 27 October 2016 "He was neck-deep in argument with the possessor of a shrill, strident, powerful voice... I peeked into the office; there, confronting Grant, stood a behemoth of a woman who matched the voice in every respect. Her massive chin stuck out aggressively."    — Nancy Vogel, Four and Twenty Beds, 1950 has this page helped you understand "behemoth"? Awesome, I'm glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know! If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. study it: Explain the meaning of "behemoth" without saying "gigantic beast" or "something big and powerful enough to drink up a river." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(Nothing, or no one) can compete with the behemoth that is _____." Example 1: "In the world of fantasy fiction, no one can compete with the behemoth that is Tolkien." Example 2: "Christmas is its own billion-dollar industry. Nothing can compete with the behemoth that is Christmas."    — Jen Simon, Salon, 30 November 2021 If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.) before you review, play: Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out. Our game this month is Oddball Recall! Given some abbreviated definitions and a few letters, try to recall some of the kookiest terms we've studied. To see the answers, scroll all the way down. Try this last set today: Yer a Wizard, 'Arry 1. Wolfy: ___ine. 2. Indiscriminately punishing: Dr____ian. 3. Resentment, e.g. from abusive detentions: um_____. 4. Exhausted and wild, like an untamed beast: __gg__d. 5. Withered, aged, perhaps turning gray or white: w_z__ed. review this word: 1. A near-opposite of BEHEMOTH could be A. MOUSE, RUNT, or BUSH LEAGUER. B. SOLDIER, PATRIOT, or CANNON FODDER. C. GOSSIP, TATTLETALE, or SCANDALMONGER. 2. Considering the definition of "behemoth," along with its biblical origin, we're most likely to modify it with adjectives like _____. A. "flying" and "flaming" B. "hulking" and "charging" C. "soothing" and "shimmering" Answers to the review questions: 1. A 2. B Answers to the game questions: 1. Wolfy: lupine. 2. Indiscriminately punishing: Draconian. 3. Resentment, e.g. from abusive detentions: umbrage. 4. Exhausted and wild, like an untamed beast: haggard. 5. Withered, aged, perhaps turning gray or white: wizened. a final word: I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.