Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A superabundance; an excess.
- n. An excess of blood in the circulatory system or in one organ or area.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. In pathology, overfullness of blood; a redundant fullness of the blood-vessels.
- n. Overfullness in any respect; superabundance.
Wiktionary
- n. An excessive amount or number; an abundance.
- n. medicine, archaic An excess of red blood cells or bodily humours.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. Overfullness; especially, excessive fullness of the blood vessels; repletion; that state of the blood vessels or of the system when the blood exceeds a healthy standard in quantity; hyperæmia; -- opposed to
anæmia . - n. State of being overfull; excess; superabundance.
WordNet 3.0
- n. extreme excess
Etymologies
- From Late Latin plethora (earlier pletura), from Ancient Greek πληθώρη (plēthōrē, "fullness"), from πλήθω (plēthō, "I fill"). (Wiktionary)
- Late Latin plēthōra, from Greek, from plēthein, to be full; see pelə-1 in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Heck, he even correctly used the word plethora'' twice in answering questions from reporters.”
“Stinky Peet says: erswi: a plethora is what women pee out of, silly rabbit.”
“Don't you just see a guzzillion calendars stacked up when you see the word plethora?”
“Learn about it. just now, -0 / +1Just by the way, when you use the word plethora you are automatically viewed as an *****.”
“Stagnation of the, blood was supposed to be a fertile cause of diseases, and such diseases were supposed to arise mostly from "plethora" -- an all-important element in Stahl's therapeutics.”
“In “Politics and the English Language,” Orwell famously tagged a plethora of “ready-made phrases” that the lazy writer — I include myself here — will often be tempted to employ to do his thinking for him.”
“KATHARINE NEWLIN BURT, also certain minor points, notably the fact that the story, though by no means badly told, suffers from what I can only call a plethora of plot.”
“The death sentence the late Philip Johnson pronounced on skyscrapers 15 years ago was directed at the then-prevailing North American skyscraper form, namely the plethora of minimalist boxes of stultifying banality.”
“What do call a plethora of newsreaders the BBC of course.”
“Oh, JT, forgot to say all respect for managing to slip the word 'plethora' in there as well ...”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘plethora’.
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1100
abound, technology, branch of knowled..., prognosticate, automaton, matron, an older married ..., realm, special field of ..., kingdom, annals, historical records and 981 more...
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GRE 2014
abate, abdicate, abase, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abjure, abortive, abound, abrasive, abreast, abridge and 1577 more...
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3/4 year Vocab List
voracious, indiscriminate, eminent, steeped, replete, awe, buffoon, abound, technology, prognosticate, automaton, matron and 96 more...
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3/4 year Vocab List
voracious, indiscriminate, eminent, steeped, replete, awe, buffoon, abound, technology, prognosticate, automaton, matron and 96 more...
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GRE Barron's 800
abate, abdicate, aberrant, abeyance, abject, abjure, abscission, abscond, abstemious, abstinence, abysmal, accretion and 787 more...
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SAT Words
But only the ones that I don't already know.
abase, abash, abominate, abstruse, acclivity, accolade, accost, adroit, adulate, adulterate, adumbrate, affray and 241 more...
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(1st_wk_150)-Dec_5_2012
voracious, indiscriminate, eminent, steeped, replete, abound, technology, prognosticate, automaton, matron, paradox, realm and 297 more...
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Logolepsy
"Luciferous Logolepsy is a collection of over 9,000 obscure English words. Though the definition of an 'English' word might seem to be straightforward, it is not. There exist so many adopted, deriv...
Anschauung, Areopagus, Argus, Briarean, Dei gratia, Dei judicium, Deo volente, Duecento, Foehn, Geflugelte Worte, Gegenschein, Hakenkreuz and 9230 more...
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GRE
predilection, explicit, appeal, supplication, appealing, enchanting, ovation, pertinent, apropos, opportunely, applicable, germane and 381 more...
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P
letters starting with p
predicament, presumptuous, predilection, plausible, preeminent, plaintive, paragon, partisan, pathological, paucity, pedantic, penchant and 28 more...
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just neat
insolent, redolent, clammy, chunder, berate, vainqueur, neotony, milquetoast, semprini, twaddle, plethora, enteron and 29 more...
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My favorite sounds
My favorite words to say.
ubiquitous, nightingale, silhouette, crevice, gloom, acquiesce, maniacal, plethora, serendipitous, oceanic, dollop
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man gre
abase, abeyance, abreast, abscission, abscond, abyss, accede, accretion, acerbic, acidulous, acumen, adulterate and 483 more...
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PART 2: 100 Word You Should Know To B...
Here are 40 advanced English words which should you be able to use them in a sentence will impress even educated native speakers! Perfect if you want to impress the examiner in examinations like: I...
jubilant, knell, lithe, lurid, maverick, maxim, meticulous, modicum, morose, myriad, nadir, nominal and 28 more...
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GRE 1100
drudgery, implore, hapless, nuance, wrest, incipient, inadvertent, tremulous, bristle, euphemism, disdain, pugnacious and 346 more...
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gre2
aberrant, aberration, aboveboard, abrasive, abstemious, acme, admonish, affable, affluent, alacrity, allegory, alleviate and 1827 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for plethora.
bilby "Although there is a strangely monotonous plethora of incident, the plots play continual variations upon a few themes and personages."
- Carl Van Doren, 'The American Novel'. Sep 20, 2009
chained_bear Oh, ha, ha, ha!! I'm sorry for any discomfort, P_U, but this exchange kind of made me smile. :) Absolutely post your wordie (and Wordie) beautifulness here. Jul 30, 2009
PossibleUnderscore Oh, right. Thanks for that clarification! :-) Jul 30, 2009
bilby Uhh, I hope you realise chained_bear was referring to Dr Goodword, Possibubbles. By all means share your finds here, no harm in that at all. Jul 30, 2009
PossibleUnderscore Sorry... Jul 29, 2009
chained_bear And... git. Jul 28, 2009
PossibleUnderscore oh...you did? I guess you all knew about it then. tee hee *blushes* Jul 28, 2009
bilby Undies, we discussed his list a while ago on beautiful. Jul 28, 2009
PossibleUnderscore Hey--'plethora' is on the list of 100 Most Beautiful Words as chosen by Dr. Goodword (Robert Beard), who has been making dictionaries, creating word lists, and writing poetry for 40 years.
http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/100_most_beautiful_words.html Jul 28, 2009
bilby A note slipped from the folder. Your auntie sent it on to Uncle Jim. His clever grandson posted it on the internet. About your rabid putsch for control of the International Piñatomasochism League.
Sorry dude. Apr 23, 2008
plethora You want to beat me with a stick, bilby? Apr 23, 2008
bilby Can we have a piñata of plethoras then? Apr 23, 2008
plethora I don't think that you actually can have a plethora of piñatas. You can never have too many piñatas, in my humble opinion. Apr 23, 2008
chained_bear Don't wibble, plethora. Your username gives good mouthfeel, no matter what Uselessness tagged it. :) (Or, you know, wibble all you want, as long as it makes you feel good.) Apr 22, 2008
sionnach If you started with a plethora of piñatas, but your stock was decimated in a freak fire-ant infestation, would what you had left still constitute a plethora?
I like the term boatload myself. Or oodles. Or scads. Apr 22, 2008
plethora *reads comments*
*reads tag*
*wibbles* Apr 22, 2008
asativum It essentially comprises the epitome of words that a plethora of people get wrong... Jan 27, 2008
mollusque The original meaning of "plethora" was overabundance of one of the humors, especially blood. Treatments included bleeding the patient, using leeches. So "plethora" is merely continuing its course of amelioration.
Has anywordie done a list of ameliorations or pejorations? Nov 26, 2007
iangilman As seen in a Cracked's '9 Words That Don't Mean What You Think'. Nov 26, 2007
pheiticeira Actually I think the association can be traced to the abundantly unfunny Dane Cook who used this it 4 times during a recent tour. Oct 25, 2007
reesetee Sellibee, I think everyone should own a copy of that movie. :-) Oct 22, 2007
selliebee The Three Amigos. I should own this movie. Oct 22, 2007
uselessness I've already commented on the overratedness of this word, but I should add that it's especially annoying when people emphasize the second syllable. It's "PLETH er uh," not "pleth OR uh." May 22, 2007
uselessness Good quote, but this word is ridiculously overrated. I've grown tired of hearing all the kiddies at school saying it to one another as though it were a mark of intelligence. It's almost as bad as "epitome." Both words should be blacklisted for ten years, and then gloriously rediscovered. Dec 13, 2006
benefactor I think much credit for plethora's popularity should definitely go to the movie "The Three Amigos". Read:
Jefe: I have put many beautiful piñatas in the storeroom, each of them filled with little surprises!
El Guapo: Many piñatas?
Jefe: Oh yes, many!
El Guapo: Would you say I have a plethora of piñatas?
Jefe: A what?
El Guapo: A plethora.
Jefe: ...Oh yes. You have a plethora.
El Guapo: Jefe, what is a plethora?
Jefe: Why, El Guapo?
El Guapo: Well, you told me I have a plethora. And I just would like to know if you know what a plethora is. I would not like to think that a person would tell someone he has a plethora, and then find out that that person has no idea what it means to have a plethora!
Jefe: Forgive me, El Guapo, I know that I, Jefe, do not have your superior intellect and education, but could it be that once again, you are angry at something else, and are looking to take it out on me?
www.benfranzini.com Dec 7, 2006