/ ˈepɪk; NAmE / noun , adjective
■ noun
1.
[ C , U ] a long poem about the actions of great men and women or about a nation's history; this style of poetry :
one of the great Hindu epics
the creative genius of Greek epic
—compare lyric
2.
[ C ] a long film / movie or book that contains a lot of action, usually about a historical subject
3.
[ C ] (sometimes humorous ) a long and difficult job or activity that you think people should admire :
Their four-hour match on Centre Court was an epic.
■ adjective [ usually before noun ]
1.
having the features of an epic :
an epic poem
—compare lyric
2.
taking place over a long period of time and involving a lot of difficulties :
an epic journey / struggle
3.
very great and impressive :
a tragedy of epic proportions
••
WORD ORIGIN
late 16th cent. (as an adjective): via Latin from Greek epikos , from epos word, song, related to eipein say.