mas|to|don «MAS tuh don», noun, adjective.
–n.
1. any one of a group of very large, extinct mammals, much like mammoths or present-day elephants: »
Prehistoric relatives of the elephant were the mammoths and mastodons that lived in temperate and frigid climates (A. M. Winchester).
2. Figurative. a very large person or thing; giant: »
It is romantic nonsense to think in terms of world-wide strikes to bring the mastodons of industry to their knees (A. H. Raskin).
–adj.
very large; gigantic: »
Stone has brought forth a mastodon volume, “The Passions of the Mind” (Atlantic).
SYNONYM(S): mammoth.╂[< French mastodonte < New Latin Mastodon the genus name < Greek mastós breast + odoús, odóntos tooth (from the nipplelike projections on its teeth)]
Useful english dictionary. 2012.