Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Abundant; copious: synonym: plentiful.
  • adjective Archaic Producing or yielding in abundance.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Abundant; copious; full; plentiful; wholly sufficient for every purpose or need: as, a plenteous supply of provisions.
  • Yielding abundance; fruitful; productive.
  • Bountifully or abundantly supplied; well provided for; rich; characterized by plenty: formerly sometimes followed by of before the thing that abounds or is plentiful: as, plenteous in grace; plenteous of good fish.
  • Bounteous or bountiful in giving; generous; open-handed.
  • Synonyms Copious, etc. See ample.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Containing plenty; abundant; copious; plentiful; sufficient for every purpose.
  • adjective Yielding abundance; productive; fruitful.
  • adjective Having plenty; abounding; rich.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective In plenty; abundant.
  • adjective obsolete Having plenty; abounding; rich.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective affording an abundant supply

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, alteration of plentivous, from Old French plentiveus, from plentif, from plente, plenty; see plenty.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English, circa 1300, from Old French plentiveus ("fertile, rich") (early 13th century), from plentif ("abundant"), from plenté ("abundance") (Modern French pleinté, English plenty), from Latin plenitatem, accusative of plenitas ("fullness"), from plenus ("complete, full"), from Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₁nós (“full”).

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Examples

  • We deem also that every time when she came to us our increase became more plenteous, which is well seen by this, that since she hath ceased to come, the seasons have been niggard unto us. "

    The Well at the World's End: a tale William Morris 1865

  • Had a nice British breakfast, bought a copy of The Daily Sun, paid £2 for 20 minutes of internet service and boarded at 11: 00 a.m. Routine ten-hour flight with plenteous and decent food.

    Real Life : Bev Vincent 2010

  • If Dave and his bros wanted to sell meth to the entitled youth of this plenteous resort town, so be it.

    Sunshine Loop Marcelle Heath 2011

  • The empress had open roads and plenteous wagons to keep her supplied.

    A River So Long 2010

  • At supper in Owain's hall there was good food and plenteous mead and ale, and harp music of the best.

    His Disposition 2010

  • Evergreens stand out so much more in the winter, their plenteous boughs preserving the essence of Christmas trees throughout the bleakness of winter months.

    The Tree God Knows Meg 2009

  • Yes, to me Our Lord has always been: “compassionate and merciful, long-suffering and plenteous in mercy.” cf.

    Flowers and Saint Thérèse of Lisieux 2009

  • Micah 6:8 Has there ever been a more lyrical expression of God's mercy than that of the Psalmist: The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy/He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.

    Quote of the Day (Sherry) James F. McGrath 2009

  • If a plenteous new food source in the form of village rubbish dumps enters the world of wolves, that is going to shift the optimum point towards the shorter end of the flight distance continuum, in the direction of reluctance to flee when enjoying this new bounty.

    THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH RICHARD DAWKINS 2009

  • If a plenteous new food source in the form of village rubbish dumps enters the world of wolves, that is going to shift the optimum point towards the shorter end of the flight distance continuum, in the direction of reluctance to flee when enjoying this new bounty.

    THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH RICHARD DAWKINS 2009

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  • "Hammurabi, the prince, called of Bel am I, making riches and increase, enriching Nippur and Dur-ilu beyond compare, sublime patron of E-kur; who reestablished Eridu and purified the worship of E-apsu; who conquered the four quarters of the world, made great the name of Babylon, rejoiced the heart of Marduk, his lord who daily pays his devotions in Saggil; the royal scion whom Sin made; who enriched Ur; the humble, the reverent, who brings wealth to Gish-shir-gal; the white king, heard of Shamash, the mighty, who again laid the foundations of Sippara; who clothed the gravestones of Malkat with green; who made E-babbar great, which is like the heavens, the warrior who guarded Larsa and renewed E-babbar, with Shamash as his helper; the lord who granted new life to Uruk, who brought plenteous water to its inhabitants, raised the head of E-anna, and perfected the beauty of Anu and Nana; ..."

    - (preface to) 'Hammurabi's Code of Laws', translated by L. W. King.

    January 25, 2009

  • Ooh! Rhymes for my Yom Kippur limerick! But where is the Humbaba lurking?

    January 25, 2009

  • If he be vanquished,

    Or make his peace, Egypt is doomed to be

    A Roman province; and our plenteous harvests

    Must then redeem the scarceness of their soil.

    - John Dryden, 'All for Love'.

    September 20, 2009