“Leviathan” comes from late Latin via the Hebrew “liwyāṯān,” meaning “dragon, serpent, huge sea animal.” The original usage was in the Bible; the Old Testament refers to a sea monster called Leviathan in the book of Psalms. In the story, this huge sea monster is killed by God, then offered to the Hebrews as food. It was from this story that the 17th-century English philosopher Thomas Hobbes drew inspiration for his treatise “Leviathan,” best known for the introduction of the social contract theory. According to Hobbes, the Leviathan in question is an autocratic monarch or state. In common noun usage, “leviathan” can be used for any extremely large, powerful thing; however, there is a tradition in using it for ships and sea creatures.