THE FIRST WORD

leviathan

PRONUNCIATION:

(li-VY-uh-thuhn) 

MEANING:

noun: Something large and powerful.

ETYMOLOGY:

Via Latin from Hebrew liwyathan (whale). Earliest documented use: 1382.

USAGE:

"A merger between the two firms, which both belong to London's Magic Circle of top five law firms, would have created a legal leviathan with 950 partners and more than 10,000 staff."
Liz Chong; Partners Quit; The Times (London, UK); Aug 1, 2006.