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Different dictionaries and grammars give different vowel lengths. Some have magnus, major/maior, maximus (e.g. Lewis & Short, Gaffiot, OLD), others have māgnus, major/maior, maximus (e.g. Allen & Greenough). māj- in those that don't distinguish syllable weight from vowel length is due to the first syllable being regularly made long by position, since an intervocalic /j/ is normally double).
In Late Latin, magnus increasingly took on abstract senses, while the concrete sense of 'large' was assigned to grandis.
^ Stefan Schumacher & Joachim Matzinger, Die Verben des Altalbanischen: Belegwörterbuch, Vorgeschichte und Etymologie (Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 2013), 238.
“magnus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“magnus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
magnus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
magnus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette, page 939/3.
Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book, London: Macmillan and Co.
a storm accompanied by heavy claps of thunder: tempestas cum magno fragore (caeli) tonitribusque (Liv. 1. 16)
with many tears: magno cum fletu
cogent, decisive reasons: magnae (graves) necessariae causae
important results are often produced by trivial causes: ex parvis saepe magnarum rerum momenta pendent
to be of great (no) importance: magni (nullius) momenti esse
to have considerable influence on a question: magnam vim habere ad aliquid
his crowning happiness is produced by a thing; the culminating point of his felicity is..: ad felicitatem (magnus) cumulus accedit ex aliqua re
his crowning happiness is produced by a thing; the culminating point of his felicity is..: aliquid felicitatem magno cumulo auget
to entreat earnestly; to make urgent requests: magno opere, vehementer, etiam atque etiam rogare aliquem
to be influenced by, to yield to urgent (abject) entreaty: magnis (infimis) precibus moveri
to possess great authority; to be an influential person: magna auctoritate esse
to possess great authority; to be an influential person: magna auctoritas est in aliquo
to have great influence with a person; to have considerable weight: magna auctoritas alicuius est apud aliquem
to leave a great reputation behind one: magnam sui famam relinquere
it is a great undertaking to..: magnum negotium est c. Inf.
to be magnanimous, broad-minded: magno animo esse
a man of ability: vir magno ingenio, ingeniosus
a man of ability: vir magno ingenio praeditus
to be in gross error, seriously misled: magno errore teneri
to be in gross error, seriously misled: in magno errore versari
a thing which is rather (very) dubious: quod aliquam (magnam) dubitationem habet (Leg. Agr. 1. 4. 11)
to be busy with ambitious projects: magna moliri
to have a high object in view; to be ambitious: magna sibi proponere or magna spectare
to have had great experience in a thing: magnum usum in aliqua re habere
to pass as a man of great learning: magnam doctrinae speciem prae se ferre
we expect a great deal from a man of your calibre: magna est exspectatio ingenii tui
a weighty example, precedent: exemplum magnum, grande
a strong, striking proof: argumentumfirmum, magnum
a strong, loud voice: vox magna, clara (Sulla 10. 30)
to shout at the top of one's voice: magna voce clamare
it is a difficult point, disputed question: magna quaestio est (followed by an indirect question)
to my sorrow: cum magno meo dolore
to undergo severe trouble, trials: magnum luctum haurire (without ex-)
to be haughty: magnos spiritus sibi sumere (B. G. 1. 33)
I have great hopes that..: magna me spes tenet (with Acc. c. Inf.) (Tusc. 1. 41. 97)
some one is the object of much admiration: magna est admiratio alicuius
we are united by many mutual obligations: multa et magna inter nos officiaintercedunt (Fam. 13. 65)
to buy dearly: magno or male emere
a thing costs much, little: aliquid magno, parvo stat, constat
much money: pecunia magna, grandis (multum pecuniae)
money is plentiful at 6 per cent: semissibus magna copia est
to incur debts on a large scale: grande, magnum (opp. exiguum) aes alienum conflare
a large force, many troops: magnae copiae (not multae)
veterans; experienced troops: qui magnum in castris usum habent
to possess great experience in military matters: magnum usum in re militari habere (Sest. 5. 12)
by forced marches: magnis itineribus (Sall. Iug. 37)
there was great slaughter of fugitives: magna caedes hostium fugientium facta est
with great loss: magno cum detrimento
much damage was done by this collision: ex eo navium concursu magnum incommodum est acceptum
(ambiguous) to be very rich; to be in a position of affluence: magnas opes habere
(ambiguous) to have a large income from a thing (e.g. from mines): magnas pecunias ex aliqua re (e.g. ex metallis) facere
(ambiguous) to perform heroic exploits: magnas res gerere
“magnus”, in William Smith, editor (1848), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, London: John Murray
J. B. Greenough, G. L. Kittredge, A. A. Howard, Benj. L. D'Ooge, editors (1903), Allen and Greenough's New Latin Grammar for Schools and Colleges, Founded on Comparative Grammar, pages 3 and 56