herculian

The bodily exercise has assumed such a variety of shapes as to render it a truly herculian task to give an intelligent statement of it to any person who has never seen it.

1803, United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. General Assembly, Minutes - United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., page 44

The planners in India, therefore, face a herculian task as they have to take steps to raise the present agricultural growth rate by at least one and half times.

1979, G.S. Bhalla, Yoginder K Alagh, Performance of Indian Agriculture: A Districtwise Study, Sterling, page 2

That the Company will now submit, (willingly at least,) to such adjustment by impartial and competent persons, we think improbable. Indeed, the Herculian task of such revison would be one, from which the greatest financial talents would shrink and would moreover, for its performance require long time and great expence. It is most likely the adjustment will never take place.

1831, Calcutta Magazine and Monthly Register, volumes 13-16, S. Smith & Company, page 122

The task of preparing these facts is a thankless one; few listen to them, and a less number care for them. He will have performed a Herculian task who shall convince the American citizen that the acts of government have any influence on his interests.

1875, Walter B. Pierce, An Address on Taxation, Political Corruption, and Official Accountability: Delivered Before the Democratic State Convention, W.S. Hawley