Etymology Map
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Big

2 stages from Middle English to English.

Today it means of considerable size or importance

Where does the word "big" come from? It comes from Middle English bigge, adopted directly into English (1500s).

1
Stage 1 of 2
bigge
Middle English · 1300s
"strong, mighty"
first found in northern English texts meaning 'strong, stout, powerful'; possibly from Norse (compare Norwegian dialect bugge 'strong man'), but the OED rates this as only 'possible'
2
Stage 2 of 2
big
English · 1500s
"large"
gradually took over much of the ground of 'great' and 'large' to mean simply of great size
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Big’s story begins in Middle English: bigge meant “strong, mighty.” First found in northern English texts meaning 'strong, stout, powerful'; possibly from Norse (compare Norwegian dialect bugge 'strong man'), but the OED rates this as only 'possible'. It reached English by 1500s as big. Gradually took over much of the ground of 'great' and 'large' to mean simply of great size. Today, big means of considerable size or importance.