gigant

IPA/dʒaɪɡˈant/
IPA/dʒaɪɡˈænt/

gigant — combining form

1. a word element that comes from Greek 'gigas' (giant) and is added before a suffi

1.構詞成分B2
釋義

a word element that comes from Greek 'gigas' (giant) and is added before a suffix to form words relating to something very large in size or scale; for example, 'gigantic' means extremely large, and 'gigantism' is a medical condition where a body grows much bigger than normal.

例句

The whale shark is a gigantic fish that can grow more than twelve metres long.

gigant- + -ic → gigantic (extremely large)

A hormone imbalance during childhood can cause gigantism, a condition of abnormal growth.

gigant- + -ism → gigantism (medical condition)

同義詞
  • mega-

    a prefix with the same core meaning 'very large'; more productive and used with everyday nouns (megastore, megastar) whereas gigant- is restricted to a few specific formations

  • giant

    a standalone noun or adjective; 'giant' can be used on its own, while 'gigant-' must attach to a suffix

反義詞
  • micro-

    a prefix meaning 'very small', opposite in scale

文法句型

gigant- + -ic → adjective

gigant- + -ism → noun

用法筆記

The combining form 'gigant-' does not appear alone as a complete word in modern English. It always combines with a suffix (-ic, -ism, -esque) or another word element to form a full word. The most common derivative is 'gigantic', which is frequently used for emphasis in everyday speech. Compare with the prefix 'mega-', which is also used to mean 'very large' but attaches freely to many nouns.

常見錯誤

❌The building was gigant.
✅The building was gigantic.
💡'gigant' is not a standalone word in English; it must take a suffix like '-ic' to form the adjective 'gigantic'.