massiven.
/ˈmasɪv/, U.S. /ˈmæsɪv/, Caribbean English /ˈmasɪv/ British slang (originally Caribbean and in British Afro-Caribbean usage).
A group or gang of young people from a particular place; the people who follow a particular type of music, esp. a form of dance music, regarded as such a group.
ΚΠ
1989 Toronto Star (Nexis) 4 Apr. a6 Others emulate the gangs—‘massives and posses’—of Jamaica and still others those in the United States.
1992 V. Headley Yardie (1993) 92 The MC took the opportunity of this break to send some dedications. ‘Dis one goes to all the Yardman massives. Special request to the High Noon crew.’
1995 Select Mar. 26/1 The bedrock of London's junglist massive are coming up West to wrap their ears around the leading edge of their music.
1996 M8 Dec. 138/2 DJs from England and abroad such as Carl Cox and Bass Generator, became firm favourites amongst the Scottish massive.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, December 2000; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
massiveadj.
/ˈmasɪv/, U.S. /ˈmæsɪv/ I. Senses relating to size or bulk.
1. † c. Having depth or three-dimensional quality; = massy adj. 1d. Obsolete. rare.† d. Of a textile fabric: thick, substantial. Obsolete. rare.
a. Of a physical object: forming or consisting of a large mass; having great size and weight or solidity; impressively or unusually large.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > largeness > [adjective] > of large volume or bulky > and solid
greateOE
stour?a1300
fata1325
mightyc1375
sternc1394
stiffc1400
massivec1425
mastiff1495
gross1516
massy1548
robustious1548
mountainousa1616
monumental1632
mountain1633
lusty1640
beamy1697
material1736
Himalayan1878
wodgy1907
monolith1922
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) ii. 1025 Among wer medled..whyte perlis massyf, large, & rounde.
c1450 (?c1408) J. Lydgate Reson & Sensuallyte (1901) 2730 Ful of trees..Massiffe and grete and evene vpryght.
1481 W. Caxton tr. Myrrour of Worlde ii. xxi. sig. h4v The erthe meueth so strongly, that it behoueth to falle all that whiche is theron thaugh it were a massyue tour.
c1550 Complaynt Scotl. (1979) vi. 47 The thoundir..congelis in diuerse massife cluddis.
1581 in J. D. Marwick Extracts Rec. Burgh Edinb. (1882) IV. 217 To big up..with ruch wark in massive wall the duris and windowes on the eist syde.
1655 H. L'Estrange Reign King Charles 136 They perfumed this respect with presenting to..[their Majesties] a massive piece of Ambre Gris.
1756 C. Lucas Ess. Waters i. Pref. The griping critic..wades through massive volumes in search of faults.
1791 J. Townsend Journey Spain (1792) III. 239 In the sacristy [at Valencia], I saw a massive sepulchre of silver gilt.
a1806 S. Horsley Serm. (1816) I. vii. 124 The common military sword is a heavy massive weapon, for close engagement.
1868 J. H. Blunt Reformation Church of Eng. I. 342 The buildings were too massive to be destroyed.
1891 ‘Q’ Noughts & Crosses 138 He..fumbled in his waistcoat pocket, and producing a massive snuff-box, offered me a pinch.
1955 A. West Heritage i. 5 I turned the massive key in the lock.
1977 O. Manning Danger Tree i. 30 The wall enclosed a row of palms from which hung massive bunches of red dates.
b. Of a person: large, heavily built, physically imposing. Of a part of the body, or the features of the face, etc.: heavily modelled, conspicuously large or prominent.
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the world > life > the body > bodily height > tallness > [adjective] > and broad
massya1382
stout1390
burlyc1400
corporalc1475
massive1485
poisy1538
big-made1566
chopping1566
grossa1578
large-bodied1577
weighty1581
burly-boned1590
mastya1593
lumbering1593
giantisha1635
gigantic1651
mastiff1668
large-made1725
lusty1777
bowerly1794
squelching1854
beef to the heel(s)1867
hefty1867
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > types of head > [adjective] > attribute of
dejected1600
cop-crowned1650
copped-crowned1650
chubbed1674
chuckle1721
massive1843
1485 W. Caxton tr. Thystorye & Lyf Charles the Grete sig. hvijv/1 The portyer..is a paynym hydous and grete, massyf, stronge, and felonnous.
1816 W. Scott Antiquary II. ii. 29 Between the two massive figures of Monkbrans and the clergyman was stuck..the slim form of Mary M'Intyre.
1843 E. Bulwer-Lytton Last of Barons I. i. iv. 66 His forehead was singularly high and massive.
1869 L. M. Alcott Little Women II. xiv. 209 A massive lady, dressed like Hamlet's mother, in black velvet.
1885 M. E. Braddon Wyllard's Weird I. i. 14 The features are firmly modelled, bold, and massive.
1901 F. Norris Octopus ii. ii. 357 His head had sunk, bull-like, between his massive shoulders.
1911 J. London in Hampton's Mag. Mar. 310/1 They were narrow between the eyes and broad between the cheeks, while their lower jaws were projecting and massive.
1930 A. P. Herbert Water Gipsies iv. 33 Old Ned, the waterman, was pitted now against a huge constable from Putney—massive men both.
1988 M. Spark Far Cry from Kensington i. 10 I was massive in size, strong-muscled, huge-bosomed, with wide hips.
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society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > plastic art > sculpture or carving > [adjective] > sculptured or carved > as opposed to painted
massy1551
massive1589
1589 G. Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie iii. xxv. 254 Painting and keruing, whereof one represents the naturall..in the superficiall or flat, the other in a body massife.
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the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric with specific qualities > [adjective] > stout or substantial
massive1670
solid1859
winter weight1871
1670 S. Wilson Lassels's Voy. Italy (new ed.) i. 130 The silkstockings..are twice as strong as ours, and very massiue.
e. Of architectural or artistic style: presenting or reliant upon great masses; imposing, heavy.
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society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > work of art > [adjective] > types of artistic treatment or style
antica1536
Moresque1611
barbaric1667
massive1723
popular1730
maniéré1743
regency1811
tedesco1814
massy1817
Barbaresque1831
sensualistic1838
broad1849
conventional1851
expressional1856
tight1891
stylized1898
distressed1940
pop1956
transgressive1969
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > style of architecture > [adjective] > other styles
florida1706
massive1723
rounded1757
round-arched1782
castellar1789
baronial1807
rational1813
English colonial1817
massy1817
transitional1817
Scottish Baronial1829
rococo1830
flamboyant1832
Scotch Baronial1833
Churrigueresque1845
Russo-Byzantine1845
soaring1849
trenchant1849
vernacular1857
Scots Baronial1864
baroque1867
Perp.1867
rayonnant1873
Dutch colonial1876
Neo-Grec1878
rococoesque1885
Richardsonian1887
federal1894
organic1896
confectionery1897
European-style1907
postmodern1916
Lutyens1921
modern1927
moderne1928
functionalist1930
Williamsburg1931
Colonial Revival1934
packing case1935
Corbusian1936
lavatorial1936
pseudish1938
Adamesque1942
rationalist1952
Miesian1956
open-planned1958
Lutyensesque1961
façade1962
Odeon1964
high-tech1979
Populuxe1986
1723 E. Chambers tr. S. Le Clerc Treat. Archit. I. 89 The upper Order must always be less Massive than the under.
1816 W. Scott Antiquary II. iv. 90 A course of lectures upon monastic architecture, in all its styles, from the massive Saxon to the florid Gothic.
1841 W. Spalding Italy & Ital. Islands I. 162 That broad, massive, severe classicism which marked the newly emancipated age of Phidias.
1861 M. Pattison in Westm. Rev. Apr. 413 When the Company proceeded to rebuild, they no longer did so in the massive and imposing style of the 14th century.
1910 Encycl. Brit. I. 974/2 Despite its [sc. Castel del Monte's] massive and imposing exterior, its details are fine.
1970 V. Gielgud Candle-holders i. iv. 34 This impression of massive outsize was only exaggerated by the sight of George Eltham standing at the top of the flight of shallow steps which linked the drive with the great front doors.
2.
a. Of gold or silver, or a gold or silver article: solid, not hollow or plated.
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society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > precious metal > [adjective] > pure or refined > not hollow or plated
massya1382
massivec1425
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) iii. 4801 (MED) Þer wer ymages wonder huge of weiȝt..Of massif gold, burned clere and briȝt.
1582 R. Stanyhurst tr. Virgil First Foure Bookes Æneis ii. 43 Theare massiue gould cups bee layd.
a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1662 (1955) III. 324 The greate looking-Glasse & Toilet of beaten & massive Gold.
1745 E. Haywood Female Spectator III. 356 Behind the Idol, which was in a standing Posture, was placed a Throne of Amber, and over it a huge Canopy of massive Gold.
a1798 T. Pennant Tour on Continent (1948) 2 It is about four feet long of massive silver most richly and most curiously ornamented.
1816 W. Scott Antiquary III. i. 14 A small ring-case..which, when opened, was found to contain an antique ring of massive gold.
1851 D. Wilson Archæol. & Prehistoric Ann. Scotl. iii. v. 433 A massive silver chain.
1886 G. Allen For Maimie's Sake xxxviii Hetty took the..missive..from the old massive silver waiter.
1915 W. S. Maugham Of Human Bondage lxxxviii. 460 Athelny described to Philip the Spanish cathedrals..the massive gold of the altar-pieces.
1987 R. Kelly Not this Island Mus. 176 Massive silver encrusted with turquoise and jasper, or is it coral?
b. More generally: forming a solid or continuous mass; compact, dense, or uniform in internal structure. Now: esp. (a) Mineralogy (of a mineral) not definitely crystalline; (b) Geology (of a rock formation) lacking structural divisions. Also figurative.
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the world > matter > constitution of matter > density or solidity > [adjective]
thickc888
fastOE
sada1375
massya1382
sounda1387
massya1398
corpulent1398
grossa1475
tight1513
massive1526
spiss?1527
solid?1533
thight1539
solidate1542
crass1545
bodily1557
spissy1570
dense1599
consolid1613
materiate1626
crassy1630
cakey1705
rocky1825
the world > the earth > structure of the earth > structural features > mass > [adjective]
massive1526
the world > the earth > minerals > mineral structure or appearance > [adjective] > crystalline > not crystalline
amorphous1784
uncrystalled1794
massive1796
uncrystalline1845
the world > animals > animal body > [adjective] > stout or strong
tidya1325
robust1666
stout1832
massive1888
1526 Grete Herball cccclx. sig. Aaiii/1 The rote..is to be chosen that is massyfe and not preced full of holes.
1558 W. Ward tr. G. Ruscelli Secretes Alexis of Piemount iii. f. 65v If it shoulde boile but a litle more then it ought to boile, it would be thicke and massife.
1573 Treat. Arte of Limming 7 The galles must be smal curled, and massive within.
1616 R. Anton Philosophers Satyrs 64 Mongst which most massiue Mettals I admire The most iudicious Beaumont, and his fire.
1778 W. Pryce Mineralogia Cornubiensis 324 Lofty Tin, in contradistinction to Floran Tin, for Lofty Tin is richer, massive, and rougher.
1796 R. Kirwan Elements Mineral. (ed. 2) II. 226 Mercury..Second family. Slaty...Found Massive.
1860 J. Ruskin Mod. Painters V. 112 Clouds may be broadly considered as of two species only, massive and striated. I cannot find a better word than massive, though it is not a good one, for I mean it only to signify a fleecy arrangement in which no lines are visible.
1871 Jukes' Man. Geol. (ed. 3) 99 The leading differences of structure among igneous rocks are the bedded..; amorphous..; massive, occurring in large masses which can be broken or quarried in any direction [etc.].
1888 G. Rolleston & W. H. Jackson Forms Animal Life (ed. 2) 250 There appear to be two fresh-water Sponges in Great Britain... The former is branched, the latter massive and lobate.
1910 Encycl. Brit. I. 773/1 Distinct crystals of alunite are rarely met with in cavities in the massive material.
1968 C. Embleton & C. A. M. King Glacial & Periglacial Geomorphol. (1971) ii. xiii. 315 Gumbotil..is massive, not stratified, and rarely exceeds 5m. in thickness.
1990 P. Kearey & F. J. Vine Global Tectonics xi. 265 At high levels in the lithosphere, massive sulphide deposits..occur on top of or within the pillow lavas.
3.
a. Of an immaterial thing: grand or impressive in scale; substantial in import or effect. Now frequently in weakened senses: far-reaching, very intense, highly influential.
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the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > [adjective]
mickleeOE
wideOE
largec1300
greata1325
muchc1330
mightyc1390
millionc1390
dreicha1400
rudea1450
massive1581
massy1588
heavy1728
magnitudinous1777
powerful1800
almighty1824
tall1842
hefty1930
honking1943
mondo1968
1581 R. Mulcaster Positions xxxix. 224 Religious skill is farre more massiue.
1600 C. Tourneur Transformed Metamorph. sig. C7 Had he beene a man of massiue hart, He would haue melted at her Mermaides part.
1833 J. F. W. Herschel Astronomy iii. 154 One result of maritime discovery on the great scale is, so to speak, massive enough to call for mention as an astronomical feature.
1855 A. Bain Senses & Intellect i. ii. 132 The..sensation of chillness..is..not acute but massive and powerful.
1892 L. Stephen Hours in Libr. (new ed.) I. 151 Scott was a man of more massive and less impulsive character.
1892 R. L. Stevenson Across Plains i. 4 All the activities of my nature had become tributary to one massive sensation of discomfort.
1907 J. Conrad Secret Agent vii. 206 His massive intellect will stand any amount of work. It's his nerves that I am afraid of.
1952 A. Bevan In Place of Fear v. 92 The massive contribution the British Health Service makes to the equipment of a civilized society.
1963 Daily Mail 25 Feb. 16/6 Cowdrey again showed massive good form to make 86 in 163 minutes.
1984 Sounds 1 Dec. 24/6 Personally, I'm convinced the Immaculate Fools are going to be massive.
1997 B. MacLaverty Grace Notes (1998) 14 ‘What happened?’ ‘A massive heart attack’.
b. Of music: presenting a large volume of sound; impressively loud.
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society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > volume > [adjective] > large volume
massive1861
1861 C. S. Calverley There Stands a City in Verses & Transl. 28 Still I..Hear you humming of ‘the gal you'd Left behind’ in massive bass.
1885 Athenæum 7 Feb. 192 Some numbers were splendidly given, notably the massive chorus,..and the whole of the processional choruses.
1991 Straight No Chaser Winter 43/1 The thrust of the all-American trio forced its way forwards in propulsive washes of sound held together by the massive bass lines of Christian McBride.
c. Medicine. Of a disease, tumour, etc.: very extensive; affecting all or most of an organ; complete.
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the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > diseases of tissue > [adjective] > affecting specific tissues
interstitial1793
submucous1823
pseudomembranous1826
membranous1829
subserous1872
massive1897
1897 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. II. 767 Massive gangrene sometimes occurs.
1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VIII. 496 In massive swellings of the tongue and throat relief has been given by [etc.].
1932 Brit. Jrnl. Surg. 19 432 The other categories of advanced growths, massive, fungating, and ulcerated, have been all too common among the patients treated.
1971 Brit. Med. Bull. 27 56/2 Serological testing may be capable of being developed to the point of identifying those ‘at risk’ of developing massive fibrosis.
1991 Lancet 9 Feb. 354/1 Renal osteodystrophy is a major problem in this group, some patients having massive tumoral calcification.
II. Technical senses, concerned with objects possessing mass.† 4. Relating to masses as opposed to molecules. Obsolete. rare.
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the world > matter > chemistry > units or measurements > [adjective] > relating to mass
massive1877
1877 E. R. Conder Basis of Faith iii. 122 The control of mind over the material world..is limited to the power of producing motion, massive or molecular.
5. Chiefly Astronomy. Having (great) mass.
ΚΠ
1916 F. R. Moulton Introd. Astron. (rev. ed.) xiii. 509 The discussions..led him to the conclusion that probably in all cases the brighter star is the more massive.
1927 H. N. Russell et al. Astron. II. xvii. 551 After colliding with the far more massive atom the electron may be found moving at the same speed as before.
1957 D. A. Quadling & A. R. D. Ramsay Elem. Mech. I. iii. 32 A massive body is one which takes a large force to make it change its motion.
1980 J. W. Hill Intermediate Physics ii. 10 The force of gravity exerted by the moon is less than that exerted by the earth because it is less massive.
6. Physics. Of a particle: having non-zero mass, not massless.
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the world > matter > physics > atomic physics > [adjective] > having no mass > not having no mass
massy1718
massive1963
1963 K. W. Ford World of Elem. Particles v. 115 The massless particles definitely belong to the family of particles and resemble the massive particles in more ways than they differ.
1984 Nature 19 Jan. 297/3 If the electronic neutrino is also massive (with an expected mass of 10−8GeV), the range is even more staggering.
1993 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 21 Oct. 79/2 Photons are massless, whereas the W- and Z-bosons are massive particles.
Compounds
massive black hole n. Astronomy a black hole with a mass very much greater than the sun (typically 106 to 1010 times), believed to lie at the centre of some galaxies and to give rise to quasar phenomena.
ΚΠ
1973 Astrophysical Jrnl. 181 l65 In the absence of a satisfactory theory one can try to account for the activity observed in galactic nuclei assuming the existence of massive black holes.
1989 J. Silk Big Bang (rev. ed.) xii. 269 Of the various theories of quasars, the massive black hole model appears to be the most plausible.
1995 K. Croswell Alchemy of Heavens xiv. 193 These stars have very high velocities, so the chance of seeing one..go behind the massive black hole is very large.
massive open online course n. an online distance learning course for which people can typically enrol free or for a small fee, without qualificatory requirements, and which is therefore open to much larger numbers than conventional residential study courses; abbreviated MOOC n. at M n. Initialisms 1.Such courses are offered by a number of different institutions including universities and not for profit organizations.
ΚΠ
2008 @ddraper 30 July in twitter.com (O.E.D. Archive) New blog post: Massive Open Online Course.
2010 Chron. Higher Educ. 3 Sept. a22/1 The classes have even spawned a new name: Massive Open Online Course, or MOOC.
2015 Jrnl. Gen. Educ. 64 266 Whether this [computerized] approach replaces the current configuration of instruction or supplements the faculty/students in the classroom model is still to be determined, as the massive open online course initiative continues to unfold.
massive parallelism n. originally Computing the performance of the same task simultaneously by a large number of processors.
ΚΠ
1977 J. P. Strong in Proc. Soc. Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers 1976 83 105 The Goddard Space Flight Center is presently developing hardware technology for building ultra high speed computers for processing two dimensional data. This technology employs massive parallelism, doing thousands of operations simultaneously.
1993 P. Ouellette Deus Machine ix. 106 Soon, laboratory models were ganging up sixteen thousand microprocessors and pumping out 26,000 MIPS. The age of ‘massive parallelism’ was born.
massive retaliation n. now historical a military strategy (inaugurated in the United States in the 1950s) which uses the threat of a punitive response with nuclear weapons to deter aggression; a response of this kind.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > attack > [noun] > counter-attack or retaliation
reprisal1641
counter-offensive1909
slap-back1931
massive retaliation1954
second strike1960
1954 N.Y. Times 13 Jan. 2/3 [Speech of J. F. Dulles] Local defense must be reinforced by the further deterrent of massive retaliatory power.]
1954 Times 29 Mar. 5/5 The plan of ‘meeting any aggression with massive retaliation in places of our choosing’.
1971 E. Luttwak Dict. Mod. War 128/1 Massive retaliation was never central US policy, and was in any case associated with the diplomatic technique of brinkmanship.
1994 Sci. Amer. May 10/3 John A. Pike of the relatively dovish Federation of American Scientists insists that the threat of massive retaliation..is still the best defense the U.S. has against an adversary armed with nuclear weapons.
massive star n. Astronomy a star having a mass significantly greater than the sun (typically between 10 and 150 times), which ends its life as a supernova.
ΚΠ
1929 J. H. Jeans Universe around Us iii. 185 In the time in which a massive star loses a hundred-weight per ton, a star of light weight may lose only a few pounds per ton.
1978 A. J. Meadows Stellar Evol. (ed. 2) vii. 138 After helium-burning in the core, a massive star moves on to the same double shell-burning that the lower main-sequence stars experience.
1993 Discover Feb. 12/1 When a massive star runs out of fuel for the fusion reactor in its core, it can no longer generate enough heat to keep itself inflated against the force of gravity.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2000; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1989
adj.c1425