magnificent

From Middle French magnificent, from Latin magnificentior, comparative of magnificus (“great in deeds or sentiment, noble, splendid, etc.”), from magnus (“great”) + -ficens, a form of -ficiens, the regular form, in compounds, of faciens, a participle of facere (“to do”).

• IPA^(key): /mæɡˈnɪfəsənt/

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• Hyphenation: mag‧nif‧i‧cent

magnificent (comparative more magnificent, superlative most magnificent)

1. Grand, elegant or splendid in appearance.
   • 1905, Baroness Emmuska Orczy, chapter 1, in The Case of Miss Elliott:

     “Do I fidget you ?” he asked apologetically, whilst his long bony fingers buried themselves, string, knots, and all, into the capacious pockets of his magnificent tweed ulster.

2. Grand or noble in action.
3. Exceptional for its kind.
   • 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], OCLC 752825175, page 030:

     They burned the old gun that used to stand in the dark corner up in the garret, close to the stuffed fox that always grinned so fiercely. Perhaps the reason why he seemed in such a ghastly rage was that he did not come by his death fairly. Otherwise his pelt would not have been so perfect. And why else was he put away up there out of sight?—and so magnificent a brush as he had too.

   • 2011 October 23, Phil McNulty, “Man Utd 1-6 Man City”, in BBC Sport:

     Substitute Edin Dzeko scrambled in a fourth and the magnificent David Silva ran clear to add another, before the Bosnian striker inflicted the final wound seconds from the end.

• magnificently
• magnificent frigatebird

• magnificence
• beneficent
• maleficent
• munificent

• magnificent in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• magnificent in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• magnificent at OneLook Dictionary Search

magnificent

1. third-person plural present active subjunctive of magnificō