Big (?), a. [compar. Bigger; superl. Biggest.] [Perh. from Celtic; cf. W. beichiog, beichiawg, pregnant, with child, fr. baich burden, Arm. beac'h; or cf. OE. bygly, Icel. biggiligr, (properly) habitable; (then) magnigicent, excellent, fr. OE. biggen, Icel. byggja, to dwell, build, akin to E. be.]
1.
Having largeness of size; of much bulk or magnitude; of great size; large.
"He's too
big to go in there."
Shak.
2.
Great with young; pregnant; swelling; ready to give birth or produce; -- often figuratively.
[Day] big with the fate of Cato and of Rome.
Addison.
3.
Having greatness, fullness, importance, inflation, distention, etc., whether in a good or a bad sense; as, a big heart; a big voice; big looks; to look big. As applied to looks, it indicates haughtiness or pride.
God hath not in heaven a bigger argument.
Jer. Taylor.
⇒ Big is often used in self-explaining compounds; as, big-boned; big-sounding; big-named; big-voiced.
To talk big, to talk loudly, arrogantly, or pretentiously.
I talked big to them at first.
De Foe.
Syn. -- Bulky; large; great; massive; gross.
© Webster 1913.
Big, Bigg, n. [OE. bif, bigge; akin to Icel. bygg, Dan. byg, Sw. bjugg.] Bot.
Barley, especially the hardy four-rowed kind.
"Bear interchanges in local use, now with barley, now with bigg."
New English Dict.
© Webster 1913.
Big, Bigg, v. t. [OE. biggen, fr. Icel. byggja to inhabit, to build, ba (neut.) to dwell (active) to make ready. See Boor, and Bound.]
To build.
[Scot. & North of Eng. Dial.]
Sir W. Scott.
© Webster 1913.