epic

/ˈɛpɪk/

/ˈɛpɪk/

Other forms: epics; epically

An epic is a long poem or other work of art celebrating heroic feats. After you sail around the world for seven years, fighting corruption and planting vegetable gardens, some poet will surely write the epic of your adventures.

Epic comes from the Greek word for song, because Greek poets like Homer sang their poems. We tend to use epic for long, ambitious novels or movies, especially if they involve a long journey. Epic can be used as an adjective to describe something historically important, lasting and complex. Perhaps your great-grandfather was a soldier in the epic struggle of World War One. Your three day, sleepless card poker game could be described as epic.

Definitions of epic

1. noun

   a long narrative poem telling of a hero's deeds
   synonyms: epic poem, epos, heroic poem

   examples:

   Aeneid

   an epic in Latin by Virgil; tells the adventures of Aeneas after the Trojan War; provides an illustrious historical background for the Roman Empire

   Divina Commedia

   a narrative epic poem written by Dante

   Iliad

   a Greek epic poem (attributed to Homer) describing the siege of Troy

   Odyssey

   a Greek epic poem (attributed to Homer) describing the journey of Odysseus after the fall of Troy

   Nibelungenlied

   an epic poem written in Middle High German and based on the legends of Siegfried and Teutonic kings

   types:

   chanson de geste

   Old French epic poems

   rhapsody

   an epic poem adapted for recitation

   heroic, heroic meter, heroic verse

   a verse form suited to the treatment of heroic or elevated themes; dactylic hexameter or iambic pentameter

   type of:

   poem, verse form

   a composition written in metrical feet forming rhythmical lines
2. adjective

   constituting or having to do with or suggestive of a literary epic
   “epic tradition”

   synonyms: epical
3. adjective

   very imposing or impressive; surpassing the ordinary (especially in size or scale)
   “an epic voyage”

   synonyms: heroic, larger-than-life

   big, large

   above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent