| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| monster |
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| SYLLABICATION: | mon·ster |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  m n st r |
| NOUN: | 1a. An imaginary or legendary creature, such as a centaur or Harpy, that combines parts from various animal or human forms. b. A creature having a strange or frightening appearance. 2. An animal, a plant, or other organism having structural defects or deformities. 3. Pathology A fetus or an infant that is grotesquely abnormal and usually not viable. 4. A very large animal, plant, or object. 5. One who inspires horror or disgust: a monster of selfishness. | | ADJECTIVE: | Informal Extremely large; monstrous: a monster hit at the box office; ate a monster steak. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English monstre, from Old French, from Latin m nstrum, portent, monster, from mon re, to warn. See men-1 in Appendix I.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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