prodigious

The adjective is derived from Late Middle English prodigious (“warning of disaster, portentous”),^[1] from Latin prōdigiōsus (“strange, unnatural; marvellous, wonderful, prodigious”), from prōdigium (“prophetic sign, omen, portent; prodigy, wonder”) + -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of’ forming adjectives from nouns).^[2] Prōdigium is derived from prō- (prefix denoting a forward direction, something before or prior, or prominence) + aiō (“to say, speak”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eǵ- (“to say”)) + -ium (suffix forming abstract nouns). The English word is analysable as prodigy +‎ -ous.

The adverb is derived from the adjective.^[2]

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /pɹəˈdɪd͡ʒəs/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /pɹəˈdɪd͡ʒəs/, /pɹoʊ-/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪdʒəs
• Hyphenation: pro‧dig‧i‧ous

prodigious (comparative more prodigious, superlative most prodigious)

1. Extraordinarily amazing.
   • , [Colley] Cibber, The Double Gallant: Or, The Sick Lady’s Cure. A Comedy. , London: Bernard Lintott, ; and sold by John Phillips, , →OCLC, Act II, scene , page 23:

     VVhat am I? Old! or a Monſter! Is it ſo prodigious, that a Man ſhou'd like me?

   • 1730, [Henry Fielding], Rape upon Rape; or, The Justice Caught in His Own Trap. A Comedy. , London: J. Wats, , →OCLC, Act III, scene v, page 33:

     Prodigious! […] VVhat in the Name of VVonder hath brought you to England?

   • 1733, “an Eminent Hand” [pseudonym; Alexander Pope], The Impertinent, or A Visit to the Court. A Satyr. , London: John Wilord, , →OCLC, page 15:

     Prodigious! hovv the Things Proteſt, Proteſt: / Peace, Fools! or Gonſon vvill for Papiſts ſeize you, / If once he catch you at your Jeſu! Jeſu!

   • 1885, Richard F[rancis] Burton, transl. and editor, “The Francolin and the Tortoises. ”, in A Plain and Literal Translation of the Arabian Nights’ Entertainments, now Entituled The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night , Shammar edition, volume IX, : Burton Club , →OCLC, page 125:

     '[T]is a marvel of marvels that this man should be a mighty King and ready for war, after his slaughter of all the wise men of his kingdom and his counsellors and the captains of his host and that his realm should be populous and prosper after this and there should issue therefrom this prodigious power!

   • 1930, André Gide, “Back Again”, in Dorothy Bussy, transl., Travels in the Congo , red seal edition, New York, N.Y.: Modern Age Books, published 1937, →OCLC, part 2 (Back from the Chad), page 194:

     A prodigious quantity of insects of all sorts (but no mosquitoes) assailed us at our evening meal.

   1. In a positive sense: marvellous, wonderful; (specifically) extremely talented, especially at a young age.

      Synonym: (at a young age) precocious

      • 1613, Samuel Purchas, “ Of Florida.”, in Purchas His Pilgrimage. Or Relations of the World and the Religions Observed in All Ages and Places Discouered, from the Creation vnto this Present. , London: William Stansby for Henrie Fetherstone, , →OCLC, book VIII (Of New France, Virginia, Florida; New Spaine, with Other Regions of America Mexicana, and of Their Religions), page 642:

        Iohn Ponce aforeſaid [i.e., Juan Ponce de León] hearing a rumour of a prodigious vvell, vvhich (as the Poets tell of Medea) vvould make olde men become young againe, plaid the yongling to goe ſearch it ſix monethes together, and in that inquirie diſcouers this Continent: […]

      • 1907 January 30, Henry James, “Washington”, in The American Scene, London: Chapman and Hall, →OCLC, section IV, page 355:

        […] Lafayette Square itself, contiguous to the Executive Mansion, could create a rich sense of the past by the use of scarce other witchcraft than its command of that pleasant perspective and its possession of the most prodigious of all Presidential effigies, Andrew Jackson, as archaic as a Ninevite king, prancing and rocking through the ages.

   2. In a negative sense: appalling, horrifying, shocking; (specifically, archaic) abnormal, freakish, monstrous, unnatural.

      Synonyms: see Thesaurus:monstrous, Thesaurus:strange

      Antonyms: see Thesaurus:normal

      • 1569, Richard Grafton, “Richarde the Seconde”, in A Chronicle at Large and Meere History of the Affayres of Englande , volume II, London: Henry Denham, , for Richarde Tottle and Humffrey Toye, →OCLC, page 390:

        [H]e [Thomas Arundell] by his euill counſaile and prodigious ſuggeſtions, craftilye circumuented the king, inducyng him to graunt his letters of pardon to a great traytour the Erle of Arondell his brother [Richard Fitzalan, 4th Earl of Arundel].

      • , Iohn Lylly [i.e., John Lyly], “Euphues and Atheos”, in Euphues. The Anatomy of Wyt. , London: [Thomas East] for Gabriell Cawood, , →OCLC, folio 68, verso:

        Cleanthes alleadged foure cauſes, which might induce man to acknowledge a God, […] the thirde by the terror that the minde of man is ſtroken into, by […] the prodigious ſhapes and vnnaturall formes of men, of beaſtes, of birdes, of fiſhes, of all creatures, […]

      • 1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. , London: [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker ; nd by Robert Boulter ; nd Matthias Walker, , →OCLC, signature , verso, lines 618–619 and 624–625:

        [T]hrough many a dark and drearie Vaile / They paſs'd, and many a Region dolorous, / […] / VVhere all life dies, death lives, and nature breeds, / Perverſe, all monſtrous, all prodigious things, […]

      • 1815 February 24, [Walter Scott], chapter VIII, in Guy Mannering; or, The Astrologer. , volume I, Edinburgh: James Ballantyne and Co. for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, ; and Archibald Constable and Co., , →OCLC, page 116:

        [T]he good Dominie bore all his disasters with gravity and serenity equally imperturbable. "Prodi-gi-ous!" was the only ejaculation they ever extorted from the much-enduring man.

      • 1819, Percy B[ysshe] Shelley, The Cenci: A Tragedy, , , Italy: for C and J Ollier , →OCLC, Act III, scene i, page 37:

        Horrible things have been in this wild world, / Prodigious mixtures, and confusions strange / Of good and ill; and worse have been conceived / Than ever there was found a heart to do.

2. Very big in extent, quantity, or size; abundant; intense; colossal, huge.

   (extent, quantity): Synonyms: extreme, prolific

   (size): Synonyms: enormous, gigantic; see also Thesaurus:large

   (size): Antonyms: see Thesaurus:small, Thesaurus:tiny

   • 1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “ Of Certain Thornes and Fig-trees of India.”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. , 1st tome, London: Adam Islip, →OCLC, page 360:

     [T]he figges […] are a fruit for a king, anſvverable to the mightie, huge, and prodigious tree that beareth it.

   • a. 1662 (date written), Thomas Fuller, “Cornwall”, in The History of the Worthies of England, London: J G W L and W G, published 1662, →OCLC, page 199:

     This Urſula is ſaid to have carried over out of Britain, eleven thouſand Maids of prime quality, beſides threeſcore thouſand of meaner rank, (ſeventy one thouſand in all, a prodigious number,) to be married to ſo many in little Britain in France. Prepoſterous in my mind, to proffer themſelves, and it had argued more modeſty if their Husbands had fetcht them hence.

   • 1712, Humphry Polesworth [pseudonym; John Arbuthnot], “How John Look’d Over His Attorney’s Bill”, in Law is a Bottomless-Pit. , London: John Morphew, , →OCLC, page 20:

     VVHEN John firſt brought out the Bills, the Surprize of all the Family vvas unexpreſſible, at the prodigious Dimenſions of them; […]

   • 1749, [John Cleland], “”, in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], volume II, London: for G. Fenton  , →OCLC, page 188:

     [I]t [a penis] vvas poſitively of ſo tremendous a ſize, […] you might have troll'd dice ſecurely along the broad back of the body of it: the length of it too vvas prodigious; […]

   • 1820, William Hazlitt, “Lecture I. Introductory.”, in Lectures Chiefly on the Dramatic Literature of the Age of Elizabeth. , London: Stodart and Steuart, ; Edinburgh: Bell and Bradfute, →OCLC, page 2:

     [T]hey were not the spoiled children of affectation and refinement, but a bold, vigorous, independent race of thinkers, with prodigious strength and energy, with none but natural grace, and heartfelt unobtrusive delicacy.

3. (archaic or obsolete) Having the nature of an omen or portent; ominous, portentous.
   • c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, A Midsommer Nights Dreame.  (First Quarto), London: for Thomas Fisher, , published 1600, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i], signature H4, recto:

     [T]he blots of natures hand / Shall not in their iſſue ſtand. / Neuer mole, hare-lippe, nor ſcarre, / Nor marke prodigious, ſuch as are / Deſpiſed in natiuitie, / Shall vpon their children be.

   • 1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “ The Power of the Sunne, and why the Sea is Salt.”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. , 1st tome, London: Adam Islip, →OCLC, page 44:

     [T]here happened a prodigious token to Denis tyrant of Sicilie [i.e., Dionysius I of Syracuse], vvhen hee vvas expelled and depoſed from that mightie ſtate of his, and this it vvas; The ſea vvater vvithin one day in the haven grevv to be freſh and ſvveet.

• prodigiously
• prodigiousness

• prodigy

prodigious (comparative more prodigious, superlative most prodigious)

1. (archaic) Synonym of prodigiously (“in a prodigious manner”).
   • 1863 November – 1864 February, [Elizabeth] Gaskell, “Cousin Phillis. Part I.”, in Cousin Phillis. And Other Tales. , illustrated edition, London: Smith, Elder and Co., , published 1865, →OCLC, page 31:

     I have fewer books than leisure to read them, and I have a prodigious big appetite.

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

prodigious

1. portentous
2. astonishing, appalling

• “prodigious, adj. and adv.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, December 2023
• “prōdiǧiǒus, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.