Epic scale
Meaning
Referring to something of immense size, scope, or importance, often requiring vast resources or effort.
Origin
The term "epic" journeys from ancient Greece, where the word epos meant "word" or "story," specifically used for long, heroic narrative poems like Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. These foundational works chronicled monumental wars, the gods' interventions, and the destinies of entire civilizations, naturally imbuing "epic" with a sense of vastness, heroism, and profound significance. As language evolved, "epic" leaped from purely literary contexts to describe anything of extraordinary scope, grandeur, or importance. When paired with "scale," it amplifies this sense of immense magnitude, invoking the spirit of those ancient, all-encompassing narratives to define projects, events, or efforts that profoundly transcend the ordinary and demand extraordinary resources or vision.
Examples
- The construction of the new supercollider involved engineering challenges on an epic scale, requiring international collaboration.
- The film's battle sequences were envisioned on an epic scale, featuring thousands of extras and breathtaking special effects.