prodigious

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /prəˈdɪdʒəs/ UK /prəˈdɪdʒəs/ See IPA manual

adj

Meanings

1

adj
remarkably or impressively great in extent or degree

She had a prodigious memory for names and dates.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · remarkably or impressively... enormous immense colossal stupendous tremendous vast monumental phenomenal

Opposites

tiny small insignificant paltry

Word family

Forms prodigiously

Derived forms prodigiouslyprodigiousness

Related forms prodigy

Etymology

From Latin prodigiosus ('marvelous, unnatural'), from prodigium ('omen, portent, monster'), of uncertain formation, perhaps from prod- (pro- 'forth') + an element related to aio ('I say').

prodigium Latin

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Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

# prodigious

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** prəˈdɪdʒəs
**IPA (UK):** prəˈdɪdʒəs

## Meanings
1. remarkably or impressively great in extent or degree

## Examples
- She had a prodigious memory for names and dates.

## Synonyms
- enormous
- immense
- colossal
- stupendous
- tremendous
- vast
- monumental
- phenomenal

## Antonyms
- tiny
- small
- insignificant
- paltry

## Derived Forms
- prodigiously
- prodigiousness

## Related Forms
- prodigy

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: prodigium

## Etymology
From Latin prodigiosus ('marvelous, unnatural'), from prodigium ('omen, portent, monster'), of uncertain formation, perhaps from prod- (pro- 'forth') + an element related to aio ('I say').

## AI Etymology
Prodigious comes from Latin prodigiosus ('marvelous, unnatural'), from prodigium ('omen, portent, monster'), of uncertain formation, perhaps from prod- (pro- 'forth') + an element related to aio ('I say'). The historical chain includes Latin prodigium. The quoted older senses, "marvelous, unnatural", "omen, portent, monster", "forth", and "I say", supply the semantic anchors for prodigious. The formation is best read as compound and borrowed: the word prodigious carries its older form-history into a compact English lexical shape. In present English it is used as a adj, "remarkably or impressively great in extent or degree". English derivatives include prodigiously and prodigiousness; related English forms include prodigy. The result is a adj whose etymology preserves both the older form and the later English specialization.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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