Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
- adj. Relating to or composed of more than one member, set, or kind: the plural meanings of a text; a plural society.
- adj. Grammar Of or being a grammatical form that designates more than one of the things specified.
- n. Grammar The plural number or form.
- n. Grammar A word or term in the plural form.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- adj. Consisting of or containing more than one of something.
- adj. Pluralistic.
- n. : a word in the form in which it potentially refers to something other than one person or thing; and other than two things if the language has a dual form.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
- adj. Relating to, or containing, more than one; designating two or more.
- n. The plural number; that form of a word which expresses or denotes more than one; a word in the plural form.
from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Containing more than one; consisting of two or more, or designating two or more.
- Specifically In grammar, noting the form of a word (primarily of a noun or pronoun, then of an adjective qualifying it, and finally of a verb of which it is subject) which marks it as signifying or relating to more than one, as distinguished from singular, signifying only one; in some languages, which have a dual form for two, signifying more than two: thus, boys is the plural number of boy, men of man, we of I, these of this, are of is, and were of was.
- n. The state of being manifold or more than one.
- n. That form of a word which expresses plurality, or the plural number.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adj. grammatical number category referring to two or more items or units
- adj. composed of more than one member, set, or kind
- n. the form of a word that is used to denote more than one
Etymologies
Examples
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Bagel (like fish, the plural is the same as the singular, and sometimes preceded by the word "the")
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The folksy presentation using the plural is a nod-wink meant to suggest habitual behaviour, potential danger, hidden agenda/background, but there is no code or nexus or intimation or subtextual message whatsoever relating to violence.
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It turns out, schlägen is the German word plural, I think for strike, hit or impact.
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Actually, most strains of Mormonism to this day believe in plural marriage.
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Where the words are singular, to make them plural is the mark of unlooked-for passion; and where they are plural, the rounding of a number of things into a fine-sounding singular is surprising owing to the converse change.
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No one knows how many fundamentalist Mormons live like the Browns; scholars estimate between 30,000 and 50,000 people live in plural marriages, mainly in Utah and other Rocky Mountain states.
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The laws of most western countries state that a polygamous union is illegal and will prosecute against those who are in plural marriages, yet the practice persists.
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Its plural is catachreses, its adjectival forms catachrestic and catachrestical.
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Subtle distinctions sometimes accompany the verb, and might help you decide whether singular or plural is preferable.
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Yes, I know the older plural is Stelae, but Steles is an acceptable English variant and I am still not a prescriptivist, and never will be.
Comments
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