plethora
pleth·o·ra
noun \ˈple-thə-rə\Definition of PLETHORA
1
: a bodily condition characterized by an excess of blood and marked by turgescence and a florid complexion
2
: excess, superfluity; also : profusion, abundance
— ple·tho·ric \plə-ˈthȯr-ik, ple-, -ˈthär-; ˈple-thə-rik\ adjective
Examples of PLETHORA
- A plethora of books have been written on the subject.
- <a biology textbook that is helpfully illustrated with a plethora of excellent illustrations>
- There has been a plethora of plays in recent years whose claim to modernity is based on indicated rather than felt emotion. —Arthur Miller, Harper's, March 1999
- The plethora of short-lived ceasefires in the Balkans and the Caucasus constitute proof that we are no longer in a world where the old rules of state warfare apply. —Robert D. Kaplan, Atlantic, February 1994
- In their view, there are the very few hard-pressed good guys losing the landscape to a plethora of bad guys. —Carol Bly, Letters from the Country, 1981
- … served at the long plank table in the banquet hut, amid a plethora of toasts to progress, amity, and the overthrow of imperialism—the meal passed in a blur. —John Updike, Trust Me, (1962) 1987
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Origin of PLETHORA
Medieval Latin, from Greek plēthōra, literally, fullness, from plēthein to be full — more at full
First Known Use: 1541
Related to PLETHORA
- Synonyms
- abundance, cornucopia, feast, plenitude, plentitude, plenty, superabundance, wealth
- Antonyms
- deficiency, inadequacy, insufficiency, undersupply
pleth·o·ra
noun \ˈpleth-ə-rə\ (Medical Dictionary)Medical Definition of PLETHORA
: a bodily condition characterized by an excess of blood and marked by turgescence and a reddish complexion
—ple·tho·ric \plə-ˈthȯr-ik, ple-, -ˈthär-; ˈpleth-ə-rik\ (audio pronunciation) (audio pronunciation) adjective
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