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Added 8 October 2026

great

/ˈɡɹeɪt/ noun

In Latin: magnus, grandis Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about great at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A person who has achieved distinction and honor in some field.
he is one of the greats of American music

adjective

Relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind.
a great juicy steak
Of major significance or importance.
a great work of art
Remarkable or out of the ordinary in degree or magnitude or effect.
a great crisis

Origin

From Middle English greet, grete (“great, large”), from Old English grēat (“big, massive; tall; thick; coarse”), from Proto-West Germanic *graut, from Proto-Germanic *grautaz (“coarse, crude; big, large”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰrewd-, *gʰer- (“to rub; to stroke; to grind; to remove”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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