The Etymology of Leviathan
Leviathan is a Hebrew word adopted virtually unchanged across European languages.βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ In the Hebrew Bible, livyΔthΔn (ΧΦ΄ΧΦ°ΧΦΈΧͺΦΈΧ) names a vast sea creature variously described as crocodile-like, serpent-like, and wholly mythological β Job 41 lingers on its scales and fiery breath, Psalm 74 makes it a chaos monster crushed by God, and Isaiah 27 calls it the twisting serpent. The name probably comes from the Semitic root l-v-h meaning to twine or coil, with the augmentative suffix -Δn, suggesting the great coiling thing. Greek and Latin Bible translations transliterated rather than translated, so leviathan passed into Late Latin, Old French, and Middle English as a proper noun for the biblical beast. Thomas Hobbes gave the word its second life in 1651 by taking it as the title of his political treatise; the absolute sovereign is a Leviathan, an artificial creature whose authority compels civic peace. Modern English uses leviathan freely for anything immense β a leviathan corporation, a leviathan ship.