epic

See also: EPIC

English

Alternative forms

• epick (archaic)

Pronunciation

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

   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. (computing) In software development, a large or extended user story.

Synonyms

• épopée
• epos

Derived terms

Derived terms

• art epic
• heroic epic

• national epic

Translations

extended narrative poem

• Arabic: مَلْحَمَة‎ f (malḥama)
• Armenian: էպոս (hy) (ēpos)
• Azerbaijani: dastan, epos
• Belarusian: э́пас m (épas)
• Bengali: মহাকাব্য (môhakabjô)
• 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)

  Mandarin: 史詩 (zh), 史诗 (zh) (shǐshī)

  Min Nan: 史詩, 史诗 (sú-si)

  Wu: 史詩, 史诗 (sr sr)

• Czech: epos (cs) m
• Danish: epos n
• Dutch: epos (nl), heldendicht (nl) n
• Estonian: eepos
• Finnish: eepos (fi)
• French: épopée (fr)
• Galician: epopea (gl) f
• Georgian: ეპოსი (eṗosi)
• German: Epos (de) n
• Greek: επικός (el) m (epikós)
• Hebrew: אֶפּוֹס‎ (he) m (épos)
• Hindi: महाकाव्य (hi) m (mahākāvya)
• Hungarian: eposz (hu)
• Italian: epico (it) m
• Japanese: 叙事詩 (じょじし, jojishi), エピック (epikku)
• Kazakh: дастан (kk) (dastan)

• Korean: 서사시 (ko) (seosasi), 에픽 (epik)
• Kyrgyz: дастан (ky) (dastan), эпос (ky) (epos)
• Latvian: eposs m
• Lithuanian: epas m
• Malay: epik
• Manx: ard-skeeal m
• Maori: waiata rāwekeweke
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: epos n

• Persian: حماسه‎ (fa) (hamâse)
• Polish: epos (pl) m, epopeja (pl) f
• Portuguese: épico (pt) m, epopeia (pt) f
• Romanian: epopee (ro)
• Russian: э́пос (ru) m (épos)
• Sanskrit: महाकाव्य (sa) n (mahākāvya)
• 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)
• Thai: มหากาพย์ (th) (má-hǎa-gàap)
• Turkish: destan (tr)
• Ukrainian: е́пос m (épos)
• Uzbek: doston (uz), epos (uz)
• Vietnamese: sử thi (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

• Italian: epico (it) m
• Manx: ard-skeeal m
• Russian: эпопе́я (ru) f (epopéja)
• Ukrainian: епопе́я f (epopéja)

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, p. 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]:

     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, spoken by Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek):

     Then tell him his daughter's an epic shag.

Derived terms

• epically
• epicness
• epic fail

Translations

of, or relating to, an epic

• Arabic: مَلْحَمِيّ‎ (malḥamiyy)
• Bulgarian: епичен (bg) (epičen)
• Catalan: èpic (ca)
• Czech: epický, výpravný
• Danish: episk
• Dutch: episch (nl)
• Finnish: eeppinen (fi)
• French: épique (fr)
• Galician: épico
• German: episch (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: ἐπικός (epikós)

• 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) m, epopéyico m
• Swedish: episk (sv)

momentously heroic

• Catalan: èpic (ca)
• Dutch: episch (nl), heldhaftig (nl)
• French: épique (fr)
• German: episch (de)

• Manx: ard-skeealagh
• Portuguese: épico (pt)
• Russian: эпи́ческий (ru) m (epíčeskij)
• Spanish: epopéyico m, épico (es) m

extraordinary

• Danish: storslået
• 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) m
• Swedish: episk (sv)
• Thai: สูงส่ง (th) (sǔung-sòng)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• German: ^{(please verify)} episch (de)

• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} épico (es)

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

   Det var virkeligt epic.