gigantische

Gigantische is a German attributive adjective meaning gigantic or enormous. It is derived from the noun Gigant, which in turn comes from the Greek gigas, meaning “giant,” and is related to the English word gigantic. The form gigantische specifically appears as the feminine singular and in various declined forms of the adjective, depending on gender, number, and case, following standard German adjective declension rules.

In practice, gigantische is used to describe very large size or extent, either literally or figuratively. Common collocations include gigantische Statue (a gigantic statue), gigantische Ausmaße (gigantic extents), and gigantische Leistung (a colossal achievement). The word can describe physical scale as well as abstract magnitudes, such as gigantische Kosten or gigantische Erwartungen, where it emphasizes extreme magnitude or impact.

Morphologically, the ending of the adjective in German changes with the article and the noun it modifies. After a definite article, the ending is the weak form, for example: die gigantische Landschaft, der gigantische Berg, das gigantische Gebäude. Without a definite article or with mixed/strong declension, endings vary: gigantische Landschaft, gigantischer Berg, gigantisches Gebäude. This pattern aligns with other adjectives formed from the same root.

Related terms include gigantisch (the base adjective), Gigant (noun for a giant), and other synonyms such as riesig, enorm, or gewaltig. In usage beyond German, cognates appear in languages like Dutch (gigantisch) and English (gigantic), reflecting a shared Indo-European heritage for words denoting extraordinary size.