Etymology
Advertisement

massif (n.)

"large block of mountains, more or less distinctly defined; a central mountain mass, the dominant part of a range of mountains," 1885, from French massif "bulky, solid" (see massive), also used as a noun in French, as in Massif Central, name of the plateau in the middle of southern France.

Entries linking to massif

massive (adj.)

c. 1400, massif, "forming or consisting of a large mass, having great size and weight or solidity," from Old French massif "bulky, solid," from masse "lump" (see mass (n.1)). Of immaterial things, "substantial, great or imposing in scale," 1580s. Related: Massively; massiveness.

U.S. Cold War deterrent strategy of massive retaliation "threat of using thermonuclear weapons in response to aggression against the United States or its allies by the Soviet Union," whether nuclear or conventional, was introduced by Secretary of State J.F. Dulles in a speech on Jan. 12, 1954.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Definitions of massif

massif (n.)
a block of the earth's crust bounded by faults and shifted to form peaks of a mountain range;
From wordnet.princeton.edu

Dictionary entries near massif

massacre

massage

masses

masseur

masseuse

massif

massive

mass-media

mass-produce

massy

mast

© 2001-2022 Douglas Harper