leviathan

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• Received-Pronunciation: /lɪˈvaɪəθn̩/
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• Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• General-American: lə-vīʹə-thən
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• General-American: /ləˈvaɪəθ(ə)n/
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• General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• rhymes with -aɪəθən
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• CMU ARPABET: L AH0 V AY1 AH0 TH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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The noun is derived from Middle English leviathan, levyathan, levyethan, from Late Latin leviathan, a transliteration of Biblical Hebrew לִוְיָתָן (liwyāṯān), possibly from לִוְיָה (liwyâ, “garland, wreath”) + ־תָּן (-tān, suffix forming agent nouns), literally “the tortuous one”. Noun sense 2.2 (“political state”) was coined by English philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) in his work Leviathan (1651): see the quotation. Noun sense 2.3 (“synonym of Satan”) refers to Isaiah 27:1 in the Bible (King James Version, spelling modernized): “In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish Leviathan the piercing serpent, even Leviathan that crooked serpent, and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.” The adjective is from an attributive use of the noun.

46 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• French: léviathanique — very large (cognates) — see also enormous
• Indonesian: lewiatan — very large (cognates) — see also enormous
• Indonesian: raksasa — very large (cognates) — see also enormous
• Malay: raksasa — very large (cognates) — see also enormous
• Arabic: لَوِيَاثَان (lawiyāṯān) — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Bulgarian: левиата́н (leviatán) — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Chinese Mandarin: 利維坦 /利维坦 (lìwéitǎn) — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Chinese Mandarin: 力威亞探 /力威亚探 — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Chinese Mandarin: 里外雅堂 — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Dutch: leviathan — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Esperanto: levjatano — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Estonian: leviaatan — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Finnish: leviatan — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• French: léviathan — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Georgian: ლევიათანი (leviatani) — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• German: Leviathan — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• German: Meerungeheuer — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Greek: λεβιάθαν (leviáthan) — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Ancient Greek: Λευιάθαν (Leuiáthan) — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Ancient Greek: Λευιαθάν (Leuiathán) — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Hebrew: לִוְיָתָן (livyatán) — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Ido: leviatano — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Indonesian: lewiatan — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Italian: leviatano — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Japanese: レヴィアタン (reviatan) — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Japanese: リヴァイアサン (rivaiasan) — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Korean: 레비아탄 (rebiatan) — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Lao: ເລວີອາທັນ (l ʼā than) — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Malay: lewiatan — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Old Ruthenian: левиаѳа́мъ (leviafám) — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Old Ruthenian: левиафа́нъ (leviafán) — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Persian: لویاتان (laveyâtân) — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Persian: لوتان (lavetân) — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Polish: lewiatan — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Portuguese: leviatã — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Russian: левиафа́н (leviafán) — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Russian: чу́до-ю́до (čúdo-júdo) — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Scots: leviathan — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Spanish: leviatán — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Swedish: Leviatan — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Tamil: லெவியாதன் (leviyātaṉ) — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Thai: เลวีอาธาน — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Ugaritic: 𐎍𐎚𐎐 (ltn) — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Yiddish: לוויתן (levyosn) — vast sea monster of tremendous strength
• Chinese Mandarin: 利維坦 /利维坦 (lìwéitǎn) — the political state, especially a domineering and totalitarian one
• Finnish: leviatan — the political state, especially a domineering and totalitarian one