Herculean
Appearance
See also: herculean
English
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Adjective
[edit]Herculean (comparative more Herculean, superlative most Herculean)
- Of extraordinary might, power, size, etc.; suggesting Hercules in size or strength.
- c. 1606–1607 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii], page 343, column 1:
- But this is not the best:—look, pr'ythee, Charmian, / How this Herculean Roman does become / The carriage of his chafe.
- Requiring a huge amount of work; of extraordinary difficulty.
- a Herculean labour
- 1748, Tobias George Smollett, The Adventures of Roderick Random:
- He replied in a dry manner, that I would find it a Herculean task to chastise everybody who should laugh at my expense;
- 2006, Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear (TV show), commenting on the Bugatti Veyron automobile
- The guys at Volkswagen have a Herculean task.
- 2012, John Nonte, Supercollider 4:
- There are thousands of known isotopes, and to have a functional and easily maintainable exhibit for all of these would require a Herculean effort.
Translations
[edit]of extraordinary might, power, size, etc.
|
requiring a huge amount of work
|
See also
[edit]Categories:
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ḱlew-
- English terms suffixed with -an
- English 3-syllable words
- English 4-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/uːliən
- Rhymes:English/uːliən/4 syllables
- English lemmas
- English adjectives
- English terms with quotations
- English terms with collocations
- English eponyms
- English terms derived from Greek mythology