noun
magnum
MAG-nuhm
noun
1
A large wine bottle holding about 1.5 litres, twice the size of a standard bottle.
"They opened a magnum of champagne to celebrate the anniversary."
2
A powerful type of handgun cartridge, or a revolver built to fire it.
"The detective in the film carries a .357 magnum."
How to Use Magnum
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither an extra-large wine bottle or a high-powered handgun/cartridge.
Common pairings
a magnum of champagne
.44 magnum
Word Forms
magnums plural, magna plural, Magnums plural
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They opened a _____ of champagne to celebrate the anniversary.
Etymology
From Latin magnum, "great" — the wine-bottle sense is short for magnum bonum, and the firearm sense was registered as a trademark by Smith & Wesson in 1935.