Herculean

See also: herculean

English

From Hercules +‎ -an.

Herculean (comparative more Herculean, superlative most Herculean)

Of extraordinary might, power, size, etc.; suggesting Hercules in size or strength.
- c. 1606–1607, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene iii], page 343, column 1:
  But this is not the best:—look, pr'ythee, Charmian, / How this Herculean Roman does become / The carriage of his chafe.
Requiring a huge amount of work; of extraordinary difficulty.
a Herculean labour
- 1748, Tobias George Smollett, The Adventures of Roderick Random:
  He replied in a dry manner, that I would find it a Herculean task to chastise everybody who should laugh at my expense;
- 2006, Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear (TV show), commenting on the Bugatti Veyron automobile
  The guys at Volkswagen have a Herculean task.
- 2012, John Nonte, Supercollider 4
  There are thousands of known isotopes, and to have a functional and easily maintainable exhibit for all of these would require a Herculean effort.

of extraordinary might, power, size, etc.

Asturian: herculeu
Catalan: herculi
Czech: herkulovský (cs)
French: herculéen (fr)
Galician: hercúleo
German: herkulisch (de)
Greek: ηράκλειος (el) (irákleios)
Ancient: ἡράκλειος (hērákleios)
Hungarian: herkulesi
Italian: erculeo (it)
Portuguese: hercúleo (pt)
Russian: богаты́рский (ru) (bogatýrskij), исполи́нский (ru) (ispolínskij), геркуле́сов (ru) (gerkulésov), гера́клов (geráklov)
Spanish: hercúleo (es)

requiring a huge amount of work