epic

See also: EPIC

English

Alternative forms

• epick (archaic)

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɛp.ɪk/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈep.ɪk/

  • Audio (AU)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛpɪk

Etymology 1

From Middle French épique, from Latin epicus, from Ancient Greek ἐπικός (epikós), from ἔπος (épos, “word, story”).

Noun

epic (plural epics)

1. An extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, celebrating the feats of a deity, demigod (heroic epic), other legend or traditional hero.

   Synonyms: epopee, epos

   The Icelandic epic took all night to recite.

2. A series of events considered appropriate to an epic.

   The book was an epic in four volumes.

3. (software engineering) A large or extended user story.
   • 2019, Leslie Munday, Using Agile In A Quality Driven Environment, page 56:

     Epics are shown in a separate list from user stories. This is because it is the user stories that are developed, not epics. Epics are decomposed into child user stories.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• art epic
• heroic epic
• national epic

Translations

extended narrative poem

• Albanian: epos (sq) m
• Arabic: مَلْحَمَة f (malḥama)
• Armenian: էպոս (hy) (ēpos)
• Azerbaijani: dastan, epos
• Belarusian: э́пас m (épas)
• Bengali: মহাকাব্য (bn) (mohakabbo)
• Bulgarian: епопе́я f (epopéja), е́пос m (épos)
• Burmese: ပျို့ (my) (pyui.)
• Catalan: epopeia (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 史詩／史诗 (si² si¹)

  Dungan: шысы (šɨsɨ)

  Hokkien: 史詩／史诗 (sú-si)

  Mandarin: 史詩／史诗 (zh) (shǐshī)

  Wu: 史詩／史诗 (⁵sy-sy)

• Czech: epos (cs) m
• Danish: epos n
• Dutch: epos (nl) n, heldendicht (nl) n
• Esperanto: epopeo
• Estonian: eepos
• Finnish: eepos (fi)
• French: épopée (fr) f
• Galician: epopea (gl) f
• Georgian: ეპოსი (eṗosi)
• German: Epos (de) n
• Greek: έπος (el) n (épos)

  Ancient Greek: ἔπος n (épos)

• Hebrew: אֶפּוֹס (he) m (épos)
• Hindi: महाकाव्य (hi) m (mahākāvya)
• Hungarian: eposz (hu)
• Icelandic: söguljóð n, hetjuljóð n
• Indonesian: epik (id), epos (id), wiracarita (id)
• Italian: epico (it) m
• Japanese: 叙事詩 (ja) (じょじし, jojishi), エピック (epikku)
• Kazakh: дастан (kk) (dastan)
• Khmer: ឥតិហាស (km) (ʼetehaah)
• Korean: 서사시(敍事詩) (ko) (seosasi), 에픽 (epik)
• Kyrgyz: дастан (ky) (dastan), эпос (ky) (epos)
• Lao: ມະຫາກາບ (ma hā kāp)
• Latvian: eposs m
• Lithuanian: epas m
• Macedonian: еп m (ep)
• Malay: epik (ms)
• Manx: ard-skeeal m
• Maori: waiata rāwekeweke
• Mongolian: тууль (mn) (tuulʹ)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: epos n

• Persian: حَماسِه (fa) (hamâse)
• Polish: epos (pl) m, epopeja (pl) f, poemat epicki m
• Portuguese: épico (pt) m, epopeia (pt) f
• Romanian: epopee (ro) f
• Russian: э́пос (ru) m (épos)
• Sanskrit: महाकाव्य (sa) n (mahākāvya), इतिहास (sa) m (itihāsa)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: е̑п m

  Roman: ȇp (sh) m

• Slovak: epos (sk) m
• Slovene: ep (sl) m
• Spanish: epopeya (es) f
• Swedish: epos (sv) n
• Tagalog: darangan, epika
• Tajik: эпос (epos), ҳамоса (hamosa)
• Tatar: дастан (tt) (dastan), эпос (epos)
• Thai: มหากาพย์ (th) (má-hǎa-gàap)
• Turkish: destan (tr)
• Ukrainian: е́пос m (épos)
• Uzbek: doston (uz), epos (uz)
• Vietnamese: sử thi (vi) (史詩 (vi))

events appropriate to an epic

• Belarusian: эпапе́я f (epapjéja)
• Bulgarian: епопе́я f (epopéja)
• Dutch: episch gebeuren/verhaal n, heldendaden pl
• Finnish: eepos (fi)
• German: Epos (de) n, Epopöe (de) f
• Italian: epico (it) m
• Kazakh: дәуірнама (däuırnama)
• Macedonian: епопе́ја f (epopéja)
• Manx: ard-skeeal m
• Russian: эпопе́я (ru) f (epopéja)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: епопе́ја f

  Roman: epopéja (sh) f

• Ukrainian: епопе́я f (epopéja)
• Uzbek: epopeya (uz)

Adjective

epic (comparative more epic, superlative most epic)

1. Of or relating to an epic.

   Synonym: epical

   Beowulf is an epic poem.

   • 1983, Jan Knappert, Epic Poetry in Swahili and other African Languages, page 58:

     The main theme of epic poetry is, of course, the hero, his life, his greatness of character, his deeds and his death.

2. Momentously heroic; grand in scale or character

   The epic defense was rewarded with the highest military decorations

   • 2010 August 25, Agence France-Presse, “China's epic traffic jam 'vanished'”, in Google News‎^[1], archived from the original on 28 August 2010:

     China's epic traffic jam "vanished" [title of article]

3. (colloquial, slang, informal) Extending beyond the usual or ordinary.

   Synonyms: extraordinary, momentous, remarkable

   The after-prom party was truly epic.

   You made an epic mistake.

   • 2018, Anthony McCarten, Bohemian Rhapsody (motion picture), spoken by Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek):

     Then tell him his daughter's an epic shag.

Derived terms

• epically
• epic doom
• epic fail
• epicness
• epicosity
• epic poetry

 

Translations

of, or relating to, an epic

• Arabic: مَلْحَمِيّ (ar) (malḥamiyy)
• Belarusian: эпі́чны (epíčny)
• Bulgarian: епичен (bg) (epičen)
• Catalan: èpic (ca)
• Czech: epický, výpravný
• Danish: episk
• Dutch: episch (nl)
• Esperanto: epopea (eo)
• Finnish: eeppinen (fi)
• French: épique (fr)
• Galician: épico
• German: episch (de)
• Greek: επικός (el) (epikós)

  Ancient: ἐπικός (epikós)

• Malayalam: ഐതിഹാസിക (ml) (aitihāsika)
• Manx: ard-skeealagh
• Norwegian: episk (no)
• Polish: epicki (pl) m, epiczny m
• Portuguese: épico (pt)
• Romanian: epic (ro)
• Russian: эпи́ческий (ru) m (epíčeskij)
• Spanish: épico (es)
• Swedish: episk (sv)
• Ukrainian: епі́чний (epíčnyj)

momentously heroic

• Belarusian: эпі́чны (epíčny)
• Catalan: èpic (ca)
• Dutch: episch (nl), heldhaftig (nl)
• French: épique (fr)
• German: episch (de)
• Malayalam: ഐതിഹാസിക (ml) (aitihāsika)
• Manx: ard-skeealagh
• Portuguese: épico (pt)
• Russian: эпи́ческий (ru) m (epíčeskij)
• Spanish: épico (es)
• Swedish: episk (sv)
• Ukrainian: епі́чний (epíčnyj)

extraordinary

• Danish: storslået (da)
• Dutch: episch (nl)
• Finnish: mieletön (fi), mahtava (fi)
• German: außergewöhnlich (de), wahnsinnig (de), Wahnsinns-, toll (de), denkwürdig (de)
• Japanese: 壮大な (ja) (soudai na)
• Norwegian: storslått
• Polish: epicki (pl)
• Portuguese: épico (pt)
• Spanish: épico (es), epopéyico
• Swedish: episk (sv)
• Thai: สูงส่ง (th) (sǔung-sòng)

Etymology 2

From epi-, from Ancient Greek ἐπί (epí, “on top of”).

Adjective

epic (not comparable)

1. (category theory, of a morphism) That is an epimorphism.

Anagrams

• ECPI, pice

Danish

Etymology

From English epic, from Latin epicus, from Ancient Greek ἐπικός (epikós), from ἔπος (épos, “word, story”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛpɪk/

Adjective

epic (neuter epic, plural and definite singular attributive epic)

1. (slang, informal) Extending beyond the usual or ordinary; extraordinary, momentous, great.

   Det var virkelig epic.

   (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French épique, from Latin epicus.

Adjective

epic m or n (feminine singular epică, masculine plural epici, feminine and neuter plural epice)

1. epic

Declension

Declension of epic

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	epic		epică	epici	epice
	definite	epicul		epica	epicii	epicele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	epic		epice	epici	epice
	definite	epicului		epicei	epicilor	epicelor