plethora means an excessive amount or number; an abundance.
plethora is pronounced /ˈplɛθəɹə/.
Why “plethora” is a great word
An excessive or overabundant quantity of something. From Late Latin *plēthōra*, from Ancient Greek πληθώρα (*plēthṓra*, “fullness, satiety”), from πλήθω (*plḗthō*, “to be full”), it first entered English in the 1540s as a medical term for an excess of body fluid, especially blood. Unlike “abundance,” which suggests a welcome and sufficient plenty, or “surfeit,” which denotes a sickening excess of consumption, a plethora is a more general, often burdensome, superabundance. It is the closet that will not close for the weight of unworn garments, the inbox swelling with unread messages, or the dizzying scroll of identical opinions in a digital thread—the quiet exhaustion of having more than the moment can hold.
Etymology
From Late Latin plēthōra, from Ancient Greek πληθώρα (plēthṓra, “fullness, satiety”), from πλήθω (plḗthō, “to be full”) + -η (-ē, nominal suffix).
noun
- An excessive amount or number; an abundance.e.g.“The menu offers a plethora of cuisines from around the world.”
- Excess of blood in the skin, especially in the face and especially chronically.e.g.“[Y]our Character at Present is like a Person in a Plethora, absolutely dying of too much Health—”
Words closest in meaning
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