large definition

English large definition

Etymology

From Middle English large, from Old French large, from Latin larga, feminine of largus (“abundant, plentiful, copious, large, much”), of uncertain ultimate origin; see there for more. Mostly displaced Middle English stoor, stour (“large, great”) (from Old English stōr) and muchel (“large, great”) (from Old English myċel).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /lɑːd͡ʒ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /lɑɹd͡ʒ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)dʒ

Adjective

large (comparative larger, superlative largest)

1. Of considerable or relatively great size or extent.

   Russia is a large country. The fruit-fly has large eyes for its body size. He has a large collection of stamps.

   • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter II, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:

     We drove back to the office with some concern on my part at the prospect of so large a case. Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke.

2. (especially clothing, food or drink) That is large (the manufactured size).
3. (obsolete) Abundant; ample.
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book V”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     We have yet large day.

   • 1895, Margaret Naomi MacArthur, Kindergarten Review‎^[1], Finger Play, page 75:

     He prefers teachers with large experience, but often has positions for beginners who have had a thorough preparation.

4. (archaic) Full in statement; diffuse; profuse.
   • 1485, Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur Book XX, Chapter xj, leaf 408r-v:

     And where hit please yow to saye that I haue holden my lady youre Quene yeres and wynters / vnto that I shal euer make a large ansuer
     "And where it please you to say that I have holden my lady your queen years and winters, unto that I shall ever make a large answer"

   • 1711, Henry Felton, Dissertation on Reading the Classics:

     I might be very large upon the importance and advantages of education.

5. (obsolete) Free; unencumbered.
   • 1600, [Torquato Tasso], “(please specify |book=1 to 20)”, in Edward Fairefax [i.e., Edward Fairfax], transl., Godfrey of Bulloigne, or The Recouerie of Ierusalem. […], London: […] Ar[nold] Hatfield, for I[saac] Iaggard and M[atthew] Lownes, →OCLC:

     Of burdens all he set the Paynims large.

6. (obsolete) Unrestrained by decorum; said of language.
   • 1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii]:

     Some large jests he will make.

7. (nautical) Crossing the line of a ship's course in a favorable direction; said of the wind when it is abeam, or between the beam and the quarter.

Synonyms

• big, huge, giant, gigantic, enormous, stour, great, mickle, largeish
• See also Thesaurus:large

Antonyms

• small, tiny, minuscule

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

large (countable and uncountable, plural larges)

1. (music, obsolete) An old musical note, equal to two longas, four breves, or eight semibreves.

   Synonyms: maxima, octuple whole note

2. (obsolete) Liberality, generosity.
3. (slang, plural: large) A thousand dollars/pounds.

   Getting a car tricked out like that will cost you 50 large.

   • 1991, Stephen King, Needful Things:

     "We'll call you anything we want," Dave said. "You owe us eighty-five large, Ace, and what we've got for collateral on that money so far is a shitload of Arm & Hammer baking soda worth about a buck-fifty. We'll call you Hubert J. Motherfucker if we want to."

   • 2008 January 13, David Simon, “Unconfirmed Reports” (30:16 from the start), in The Wire, season 2, episode 2, spoken by Avon Barksdale:

     So send my sister a hundred large, and next time you come down to Jessup it won't be my grill talking at you. My word on that.

4. (uncountable, especially clothing, food or drink) One of several common sizes to which an item may be manufactured.

   Synonym: L

5. (countable, especially clothing, food or drink) An item labelled or denoted as being that size.

   One small coffee and two larges, please.

6. (countable, especially with respect to clothing) One who fits an item of that size.

Derived terms

• at large

Adverb

large

1. (nautical) Before the wind.

Further reading

• “large”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “large”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• Agler, Alger, Elgar, Ragle, ergal, glare, lager, regal

French large definition

Etymology

Inherited from Old French large, from Latin largus, larga, largum (“abundant, plentiful, copious, large, much”). The feminine is inherited, but for the masculine, Latin largum (the masculine and neuter accusative) developed into Old French larc, which was discarded.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /laʁʒ/
• (Paris)

  (file)

• Homophone: larges
• Hyphenation: large

Adjective

large (plural larges)

1. wide, broad
2. large
3. generous

Derived terms

• de long en large
• en long en large
• large d’esprit
• ratisser large

Related terms

• largesse

Noun

large m (plural larges)

1. open sea

   Synonym: haute mer

2. width

   Synonym: largeur

Derived terms

Descendants

• Antillean Creole: laj
• Haitian Creole: laj
• Karipúna Creole French: laj
• Louisiana Creole: laj, larj

Further reading

• “large”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• Alger, grêla, régal, régla

Latin large definition

Etymology 1

Adverb

largē (comparative largius, superlative largissimē)

1. munificently, generously, liberally.
2. abundantly, copiously.
3. to a great extent.

Etymology 2

Adjective

large

1. vocative masculine singular of largus

References

• “large”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “large”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers

Norman large definition

Etymology

From Old French large, from Latin largus (“abundant, plentiful, copious, large, much”).

Adjective

large m or f

1. (Jersey) wide

Derived terms

Noun

large m (plural larges)

1. (Jersey, nautical) open sea, deep sea

   Synonym: plieine mé

Old French large definition

Alternative forms

• larc (Roman de Renard, "wide")

Etymology

From Latin largus, larga.

Adjective

large m (oblique and nominative feminine singular large)

1. generous
2. large; big
3. wide (when used to differentiate between height, width and length)

Descendants

• Middle French: large
  • French: large
    • Antillean Creole: laj
    • Haitian Creole: laj
    • Karipúna Creole French: laj
    • Louisiana Creole: laj, larj
• Norman: large (Guernsey, Jersey)
• → Middle English: large
  • English: large

References

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (large, supplement)
• large on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub