leviathan

[ li-vahy-uh-thuh n ]
/ lɪˈvaɪ ə θən /

noun

(often initial capital letter) Bible. a sea monster.
any huge marine animal, as the whale.
anything of immense size and power, as a huge, oceangoing ship.
(initial capital letter, italics) a philosophical work (1651) by Thomas Hobbes dealing with the political organization of society.

Origin of leviathan

1350–1400; Middle English levyathan < Late Latin leviathan ≪ Hebrew liwyāthān

Words nearby leviathan

Example sentences from the Web for leviathan

British Dictionary definitions for leviathan

leviathan
/ (lɪˈvaɪəθən) /

noun

Bible a monstrous beast, esp a sea monster
any huge or powerful thing

Word Origin for leviathan

C14: from Late Latin, ultimately from Hebrew liwyāthān, of obscure origin

Cultural definitions for leviathan

Leviathan
[ (luh-veye-uh-thuhn) ]

A sea monster mentioned in the Book of Job, where it is associated with the forces of chaos and evil.

notes for Leviathan

Figuratively, a “leviathan” is any enormous beast.

notes for Leviathan

Leviathan is a work on politics by the seventeenth-century English author Thomas Hobbes.