plural

plu·ral

adjective \ˈplu̇r-əl\

Definition of PLURAL

1

: of, relating to, or constituting a class of grammatical forms usually used to denote more than one or in some languages more than two

2

: relating to, consisting of, or containing more than one or more than one kind or class <a plural society>

— plural noun

— plu·ral·ly \-ə-lē\ adverb

Examples of PLURAL

1. The word “trees” is a plural noun.
2. The plural form of the word “child” is “children.”
3. a plural verb such as “are” or “were” rather than a singular verb such as “is” or “was”

Origin of PLURAL

Middle English, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French plurel, from Latin pluralis, from plur-, plus more — more at plus

First Known Use: 14th century

Other Grammar and Linguistics Terms

ablaut, allusion, anacoluthon, diacritic, gerund, idiom, infinitive, metaphor, semiotics, simile

Rhymes with PLURAL

crural, jural, mural, neural, pleural, rural, Ural