Epic
/ˈɛp.ɪk/noun
A long narrative poem, or something grand, dramatic, or heroic in scale.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from Greek epos, meaning “word” or “spoken utterance,” so an epic was originally a poem built from powerful speech, not just a big story.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wekw-
“to speak, utter”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἔπος (epos)
“word, speech, saying”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἐπικός (epikos)
“of a story, poem, or speech; suited to heroic verse”
Latin
Latin
epicus
“of heroic poetry”
Late Middle English
English
epik / epic
“a heroic poem”
Modern English
English
epic
“a long heroic poem; later, anything grand or impressive”