Word Origin Atlas

Exact historical dictionary sense

Large in Webster's 1913 dictionary

The 1913 record labels large as adjective. Its source-bounded etymology and selected historical definition appear below.

WEBSTER 1913adjective
Large

[F., fr. L. largus. Cf. Largo.]

Cross-verified historical sense
The source text may be outdated. The page preserves that historical boundary.
Cross-verified 1913 record
Headwordlarge
Part of speechadjective
Historical etymology[F., fr. L. largus. Cf. Largo.]
Selected historical definitionExceeding most other things of like kind in bulk, capacity, quantity, superficial dimensions, or number of constituent units; big; great; capacious; extensive; -- opposed to small; as, a large horse; a large house or room; a large lake or pool; a large jug or spoon; a large vineyard; a large army; a large city.
Signed record IDwebster1913-large-adjective-b4281aeec2d6
Source locatorCIDE.L, paragraph 1297; Gutenberg eBook 664
Edition-scoped answerNot earliest-attestation proofNot modern consensus
Independent historical textProject Gutenberg section 664Signed structural record sourceGNU GCIDE 0.54 archive
Quick answer

In Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), "large" is labeled adjective. Its etymology is recorded as: "[F., fr. L. largus. Cf. Largo.]" The selected historical definition says: "Exceeding most other things of like kind in bulk, capacity, quantity, superficial dimensions, or number of constituent units; big; great; capacious; extensive; -- opposed to small; as, a large horse; a large house or room; a large lake or pool; a large jug or spoon; a large vineyard; a large army; a large city."

Project Gutenberg Webster 1913 plus signed GNU GCIDE 0.54 Exact cross-verified historical record reviewed 2026-09-05

What this answer proves

One named sense in one historical dictionary edition.

The answer reports the selected headword, part of speech, etymology, definition, and source locator as transcribed in the cross-verified 1913 record.

Evidence boundaryIt does not establish the earliest attestation or a complete borrowing chain.It does not claim current scholarly consensus or a modern dictionary definition.Historical dictionary text may be obsolete, incomplete, inaccurate, or offensive by modern standards.

More released L records

Every card owns a different source record and historical sense.

adjective

Last

[OE. last, latst, contr. of latest, superl. of late; akin to OS. lezt, lazt, last, D. laatst, G. letzt. See Late, and cf. Latest.]

Webster 1913 exact recordadjective

Live

[Abbreviated from alive. See Alive, Life.]

Webster 1913 exact recordadjective

Local

[L. localis, fr. locus place: cf. F. local. See Lieu, Locus.]

Webster 1913 exact recordadjective

Lost

[Prop. p. p. of OE. losien. See Lose, v. t.]

Webster 1913 exact recordnoun

List

[F. lice, LL. liciae, pl., from L. licium thread, girdle.]

Webster 1913 exact record

Browse released L records - browse all historical records.