[mas.sive] adj [ME massiffe, fr. MF massif, fr. masse mass] (15c) 1: forming or consisting of a large mass: a: bulky b: weighty, heavy "~ walls" "a ~ volume" c: impressively large or ponderous d: having no regular form but not necessarily lacking crystalline structure "~ sandstone"
2. a: large, solid, or heavy in structure "~ jaw" b: large in scope or degree "the feeling of frustration, of being ineffectual, is ~ --David Halberstam" c (1): large in comparison to what is typical "~ dose of penicillin" (2): being extensive and severe "~ hemorrhage" "~ collapse of a lung" (3): imposing in excellence or grandeur: monumental "~ simplicity"
3: having mass "a ~ boson" -- mas.sive.ly adv -- mas.sive.ness n