colossus

Where does the word "colossus" come from? It comes from Greek kolossos, and was adopted directly into English (1500s).

Colossus’s story begins in Greek: kolossos meant “a giant statue.” A giant statue, most famously the bronze Colossus of Rhodes. It reached English by 1500s as colossus. Broadened from the statue itself to anything of gigantic scale. Today, colossus means a person or thing of immense size, power, or importance.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient kolossos "a giant statue", a giant statue, most famously the bronze Colossus of Rhodes.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1500s colossus "something of gigantic size or importance", broadened from the statue itself to anything of gigantic scale.