Gargantua and Pantagruel

Posted by Smokey Stover on December 17, 2006

In Reply to: gargantoit -meaning something that is really big posted by Bob on December 17, 2006

: : I'm sorry if this isn't the right place to ask but I hope you can help me. Today I heard in a kid's program a word that sounds like this: gargantoit -meaning something that is really big, huge actually. I've never heard it before and I'm sure I wrote it wrong, but I've been looking for it in many dictionaries and I can't find a word that ressembles remotely like that.

: try "gargantuan"

You might also like to try Gargantua. The word "gargantuan," meaning huge, comes from a sixteenth-century adventure of discovery by François Rabelais entitled Gargantua et Pantagruel. The four-volume work is a satire of the follies and credulity of Rabelais' fellow Frenchmen, as well as of the exaggerations of various books detailing adventures that could never have happened. Gargantua is a giant king, with a giant appetite for food and drink, and has a son, Pantagruel. Hence, gargantuan, huge. The work was a huge success, although not so often read these days. The French is somewhat antique, and the story line is no page-turner.

When Ringling Brothers circus adopted a baby lowland gorilla named Buddy, they soon renamed him Gargantua, as he grew to be very large. A scar on his face made him appear menacing, and he became quite famous.
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• Or Gargantoid pamela 18/December/06
  • Or Gargantoid Smokey Stover 23/December/06