enormis

Enormis is a Latin adjective meaning “enormous” or “monstrous.” In classical Latin it describes objects, creatures, or phenomena of great size or magnitude, and the word continues to appear in modern scholarly Latin, glossaries, and taxonomic descriptions. In taxonomy, enormis is commonly used as a species epithet within binomial names to indicate a large member of a genus, though the exact size suggested by the epithet varies across taxa and is not standardized.

Grammar and usage notes: Enormis derives from Latin and, as an adjective, is used to agree with the noun it modifies in Latin grammar. In scientific naming, the epithet remains part of the Latin binomial and is not capitalized. Its ending may be adapted to reflect the gender and number of the genus, following ordinary Latin agreement rules, while the genus name itself is capitalized and the species epithet is not.

Context and scope: Beyond biology, enormis appears in Latin dictionaries and linguistic discussions as a general descriptor for large size. It can also surface in works that employ Latin or pseudo-Latin wording for stylistic or scholarly effect. The term is primarily encountered in formal nomenclature and linguistic contexts rather than as a standalone modern term with independent, non-taxonomic meaning.