Brewer's: Garagantua

(g hard). The giant that swallowed five pilgrims with their staves and all in a salad. From a book entitled The History of Garagantua, 1594. Laneham, however, mentions the book of Garagantua in 1575. The giant in Rabelais is called Gargantua (q.v.).

“You must borrow me Gargantua's mouth first [before I can utter so long a word]; `tis a word too great for any mouth of this age's size.” —Shakespeare: As You Like It, iii. 2.

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language