Word of the Day: Epic
epic
ep-ic / ĕp-ĭk
adjective
1. pertaining to a long poem known as an epic, that portrays heroic or legendary tales
Considered subjectively, philosophy always begins in the middle, like an epic poem.
Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel 1772-1829
2. resembling a long poem portraying heroic or legendary feats
God is telling an amazing, glorious, epic story.
Steven Curtis Chapman, 1962 –
3. greatly heroic, courageous or otherwise impressive
More often than not, a hero’s most epic battle is the one you never see; it’s the battle that goes on within him or herself.
Kevin Smith, 1970 –
4. very large in size or range
In fact I am about to type, ‘I do not believe in God’, when the sky goes black as ink, there is a thunderclap and a huge crash of thunder and a downpour of epic proportions.
From “Diaries 1969 – 1979: The Python Years” by Michael Palin, 1943 –
noun
1. a long poem, typically derived from oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures
Epigrams succeed where epics fail.
Persian Proverb
2. a work of literature or film, resembling an epic poem, that portrays heroic or legendary acts
The salvation of a single soul is more important than the production or preservation of all the epics and tragedies in the world.
C. S. Lewis, 1898 – 1963
3. a period in time where heroic or courageous deeds are attempted or carried out
It is a title that without restraint or second thoughts or apology celebrates the American epic of expansion.
From “When Ideas Mattered: A Nathan Glazer Reader” edited by Joseph Dorman and Leslie Lenkowsky
