GIGANTISM

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does gigantism mean? 

• GIGANTISM (noun)
  The noun GIGANTISM has 2 senses:

1. excessive size; usually caused by excessive secretion of growth hormone from the pituitary gland

2. excessive largeness of stature

  Familiarity information: GIGANTISM used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• GIGANTISM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Excessive size; usually caused by excessive secretion of growth hormone from the pituitary gland

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

giantism; gigantism; overgrowth

Hypernyms ("gigantism" is a kind of...):

hypertrophy (abnormal enlargement of a body part or organ)

Meronyms (parts of "gigantism"):

hyperpituitarism (excessive activity of the pituitary gland (especially overactivity of the anterior lobe which leads to excess secretion of growth hormone))

Sense 2

Meaning:

Excessive largeness of stature

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

giantism; gigantism

Hypernyms ("gigantism" is a kind of...):

bigness; largeness (the property of having a relatively great size)

 Context examples 

Too much growth hormone can cause gigantism in children, where their bones and their body grow too much.

(Growth Disorders, NIH)

The vast majority of cases are hormonally functioning and are associated with either gigantism or acromegaly.

(Growth Hormone-Producing Pituitary Gland Adenoma, NCI Thesaurus)

Defects in the gene are a cause of dwarfism, while hypersecretion of the encoded protein is a cause of gigantism.

(Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone, NCI Thesaurus)

"Because the seaway changed in size and geography frequently, it may have resulted in ‘islands of water’ that stimulated species gigantism."

(Ancient Saharan seaway illustrates how Earth’s climate and creatures can undergo extreme change, National Science Foundation)