mammoth

views updated May 29 2018

mammoth a large extinct elephant of the Pleistocene epoch, typically hairy with a sloping back and long curved tusks. Recorded from the early 18th century, the word comes from Russian mamo(n)t, and is probably of Siberian origin. The adjectival use meaning ‘huge’ developed in the early 19th century.
Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, the largest known cave system in the world, consisting of over 480 km (300 miles) of charted passageways and containing some spectacular rock formations.

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES

mammoth

views updated May 21 2018

mammoth Extinct Pleistocene ancestor of the elephant. Many were covered with long red or brown hair. The prominent tusks were long and curved, sometimes crossing in adult males. In summer months, the permafrost of Siberia has been known to yield whole specimens that have been frozen for as long as 30,000 years. Genus Mammuthus.

World Encyclopedia

Mammoth

views updated May 23 2018

Mammoth ? 2006

Frank Abernathy (Ventresca) is the curator of a natural history museum in Blackwood, Louisiana. When a meteor hits the building, it thaws the iceencased star attraction. That would be a mammoth that can suck the life out of people with its trunk when it's not stomping on ‘em. Unfortunately, the pic's tone varies from goofy to banal to gross, which diminishes it's cheese factor. A Sci-fi Channel original. 90m/C DVD . Vincent Ventresca, Summer Glau, Leila Arcieri, Tom Skerritt, Cole Williams, Marcus Lyle Brown, Charles Carroll; D: Tim Cox; W: Sean Keller, Tim Cox, Brooke Durham; C: Bing Sokolsky; M: John Dickson. CABLE

VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever

mammoth

views updated May 18 2018

mam·moth / ˈmamə[unvoicedth]/ • n. a large extinct elephant (genus Mammuthus) of the Pleistocene epoch, typically hairy with a sloping back and long curved tusks. • adj. huge: a mammoth corporation.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English