From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Colossus \Co*los"sus\, noun; pl. L. {Colossi}, E. {Colossuses}. [L., fr. Gr. ?.]
1. A statue of gigantic size. The name was especially applied to certain famous statues in antiquity, as the Colossus of Nero in Rome, the Colossus of Apollo at Rhodes.
He doth bestride the narrow world Like a colossus. --Shak.
Note: There is no authority for the statement that the legs of the Colossus at Rhodes extended over the mouth of the harbor. --Dr. Wm. Smith.
2. Any man or beast of gigantic size. ||
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
noun
1: someone or something that is abnormally large and powerful [syn: {giant}, {goliath}, {behemoth}, {monster}]
2: a person of exceptional importance and reputation [syn: {behemoth}, {giant}, {heavyweight}, {titan}] [also: {colossi} (pl)]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
68 Moby Thesaurus words for "colossus": Antaeus, Atlas, Briareus, Brobdingnagian, Charles Atlas, Cyclops, Goliath, Hercules, Polyphemus, Samson, Superman, Tarzan, Titan, amazon, antenna tower, barbican, belfry, bell tower, bully, bullyboy, campanile, column, cupola, derrick, dome, fire tower, giant, gorilla, lantern, lighthouse, martello, martello tower, mast, minaret, monument, muscle man, obelisk, observation tower, pagoda, pilaster, pillar, pinnacle, pole, powerhouse, pylon, pyramid, shaft, skyscraper, spire, stalwart, standpipe, steeple, strong man, strong-arm man, stupa, television mast, the mighty, the strong, titan, tope, tough, tough guy, tour, tower, tower of strength, turret, water tower, windmill tower
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03) [foldoc]:
Colossus (A huge and ancient statue on the Greek island of Rhodes).
1. The Colossus and Colossus Mark II computers used by {Alan Turing} at {Bletchley Park}, UK during the Second World War to crack the "Tunny" cipher produced by the Lorenz SZ 40 and SZ 42 machines. Colossus was a semi-fixed-program {vacuum tube} calculator (unlike its near-contemporary, the freely programmable {Z3}). ["Breaking the enemy's code", Glenn Zorpette, IEEE Spectrum, September 1987, pp. 47-51.] 2. The computer in the film "Colossus: The Forbin Project". Forbin is the designer of an incredibly sophisticated computer that will run all of America's nuclear defences. Shortly after being turned on, it detects the existence of Goliath, the Soviet counterpart, previously unknown to US Planners. Both computers insist that they be linked, and after taking safeguards to preserve confidential material, each side agrees to allow it. As soon as the link is established the two become a new super computer and threaten the world with the immediate launch of nuclear weapons if they are detached. Colossus begins to give its plans for the management of the world under its guidance. Forbin and the other scientists form a technological resistance to Colossus which must operate underground. {The Internet Movie Database (http://www.msstate.edu/M/title-exact?Colossus:%20The%20Forbin%20Project)}. [Date?] (2002-07-28)
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