a. [ Compar. Bigger; superl. Biggest. ] [ Perh. from Celtic; cf. W. beichiog, beichiawg, pregnant, with child, fr. baich burden, Arm. beac'h; or cf. OE. bygly, Icel. biggiligr, (properly) habitable; (then) magnigicent, excellent, fr. OE. biggen, Icel. byggja, to dwell, build, akin to E. be. ] 1. Having largeness of size; of much bulk or magnitude; of great size; large. “He's too big to go in there.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Great with young; pregnant; swelling; ready to give birth or produce; -- often figuratively. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ Day ] big with the fate of Cato and of Rome. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Having greatness, fullness, importance, inflation, distention, etc., whether in a good or a bad sense; as, a big heart; a big voice; big looks; to look big. As applied to looks, it indicates haughtiness or pride. [ 1913 Webster ]

God hath not in heaven a bigger argument. Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Big is often used in self-explaining compounds; as, big-boned; big-sounding; big-named; big-voiced. [ 1913 Webster ]

To talk big, to talk loudly, arrogantly, or pretentiously. [ 1913 Webster ]

I talked big to them at first. De Foe. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Bulky; large; great; massive; gross. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ L. ] (Antiq.) A two-horse chariot. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. bigamus twice married: cf. F. bigame. See Bigamy. ] A bigamist. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. Digamist. ] One who is guilty of bigamy. Ayliffe. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Guilty of bigamy; involving bigamy; as, a bigamous marriage. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. bigamie, fr. L. bigamus twice married; bis twice + Gr. &unr_; marriage; prob. akin to Skt. jāmis related, and L. gemini twins, the root meaning to bind, join: cf. F. bigamie. Cf. Digamy. ] (Law) The offense of marrying one person when already legally married to another. Wharton. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ It is not strictly correct to call this offense bigamy: it more properly denominated polygamy, i. e., having a plurality of wives or husbands at once, and in several statutes in the United States the offense is classed under the head of polygamy.

In the canon law bigamy was the marrying of two virgins successively, or one after the death of the other, or once marrying a widow. This disqualified a man for orders, and for holding ecclesiastical offices. Shakespeare uses the word in the latter sense. Blackstone. Bouvier. [ 1913 Webster ]

Base declension and loathed bigamy. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. New York City; -- a nickname, usually written The Big Apple. [ PJC ]

{ } n. [ F. bigarreau, fr. bigarré variegated. ] (Bot.) The large white-heart cherry. [ 1913 Webster ]

A band that is the size of an orchestra, usually playing mostly jazz or swing music. The big band typically features both ensemble and solo playing, sometimes has a lead singer, and is often located in a night club where the patrons may dance to its music. The big bands were popular from the late 1920's to the 1940's. Contrasted with combo, which has fewer players. [ PJC ]

n. (Astron.) The explosive event marking the beginning of the known universe, according to big bang theory; the beginning of time. The big bang is likened to a massive explosion from a point containing all of the matter and energy of the beginning universe, which started the expansion and evolution of the universe which continues today. The evidence for such an event includes the apparently expanding size of the present universe, and a background microwave radiation of about 3° Kelvin, equal to that predicted from mathematical models of such an explosive event. [ PJC ]