magnum
/ˈmæɡnəm/ noun
Forms magnums magna
- noun A bottle containing 1.5 liters of fluid, double the volume of a standard wine bottle.
- noun (firearms) A powerful firearm cartridge, often derived from a shorter, less powerful cartridge calibre that uses the same bullet.
- noun (by extension) A handgun that fires a cartridge of this calibre; chiefly a revolver, but rarely an autoloader firing an unusually powerful calibre.
- noun A bottle of Magnum Tonic Wine, a fermented mead drink popular among Jamaicans and other Caribbean peoples for its intoxicating effects, vitamins and use as a purported sexual stimulant. The drink is highly associated with dancehall music and Jamaican pop culture.
Etymology
From Latin magnum, neuter of magnus (“great”).
* (bottle): Ellipsis of magnum bonum.
* (handgun): Name registered 1935 by Smith & Wesson Inc., of Springfield, Massachusetts.
Shortening of Magnum Tonic Wine.
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [Neut. sing. of L. magnus great.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “magnum”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details