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Webster 1913 Edition

Behemoth

Be′he-moth

,
Noun.
[Heb.
behemōth
, fr. Egyptian
P-ehe-maut
hippopotamus.]
1.
An animal, probably the hippopotamus, described in
Job xl. 15-24.

Webster 1828 Edition

Behemoth

BE'HEMOTH

, n.]Heb. a beast or brute; from an Arabic vert, which signifies, to shut, to lie hid, to be dumb. In Eth.dumb.]
Authors are divided in opinion as to the animal intended in scripture by this anme; some supposing it to be an ox, others, an elephant; and Bochart labors to prove it the hippopotamus, or river horse. The latter opinion is most probably. [See Hippopotamus.] The original word in Arabic signifies a brute of beast in general, especially a quadruped.

Definition 2024

behemoth

behemoth

English

Behemoth and Leviathan, by William Blake

Noun

behemoth ‎(plural behemoths)

  1. (biblical) A great and mighty beast God shows Job in Job 40:15-24.
  2. A great and mighty monster.
  3. Something which has the qualities of great power and might, and monstrous proportions.
    • 2011 January 18, Lovejoy, Joe, “Cardiff City 0 Stoke City 2”, in Guardian Online:
      The diehards who did turn out were at least rewarded with a first sight of Jon Parkin, the behemoth striker signed from Preston, who scored a stunning goal on his debut at Norwich last weekend.
    • 2012, James S. A. Corey, Gods of Risk, ISBN 9780316217651:
      The wide access corridors passed slowly, the conduits and pipes like the circulatory system of some vast planetary behemoth.

Synonyms

Quotations

  • 1611, Bible (KJV), Job 40:15–18:
    Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox.
    Lo now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly.
    He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together.
    His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron.
  • 2001, Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl, page 58:
    Next she doused the smouldering troll with the contents of the restaurant's fire extinguisher, hoping the icy powder wouldn't revive the sleeping behemoth.

Translations

Derived terms

See also

Etymology

From Middle English behemoth, bemoth, from Late Latin, from Hebrew בהמות ‎(bəhēmōth). The Hebrew word is either:

  • an intensive plural of בהמה ‎(bəhēmāh, “beast”), from Proto-Semitic (compare Ethiopic [script needed] ‎(bəhma, “dumb, speechless”), Arabic [script needed] ‎(ʼabham, “animal”) (declined as bahma(t), bahīma(t))), or
  • a borrowing of Egyptian [script needed] ‎(p-ehe-mau, “hippopotamus”, literally “water-ox”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /bəˈhi(ː)məθ/

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