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behemoth

Pronunciation: /bəˈhi(ː).məθ/

The English word “behemoth” has 3 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. A great and mighty beast which God shows to Job in Job 40:15–24.
  2. Any great and mighty monster.
  3. Something which has the qualities of great power and might, and monstrous proportions.

Etymology

From Middle English behemoth, bemoth, from Late Latin behemoth, from Hebrew בְּהֵמוֹת (behemót). Most likely, the Hebrew word is an intensive plural of בְּהֵמָה (behemá, “beast”), from Proto-Semitic (compare Ge'ez ብህመ (bəhmä, “to be dumb, to be speechless”), Arabic ب ه م (b h m)). Some have instead suggested a borrowing from a hypothetical Egyptian pA-i-H-E1-mw (*pꜣ-jḥ-mw, “hippopotamus”,…

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