Etymology:Gargantua

Gargantuan, in modern times, means gigantic. Gargantuan is based on the the fictional king Garguantua, who was portrayed as having gigantic physical and intellectual appetites. The satire Gargantua and Pantagruel was written by François Rabelais, considered a great writer for his works of fantasy, satire, the grotesque, and bawdy jokes and songs.