cornucopia

noun cor·nu·co·pia \ ˌkȯr-nə-ˈkō-pē-ə , -nyə-ˈkō- \

Updated on: 18 Apr 2018

Definition of cornucopia

1 : a curved, hollow goat's horn or similarly shaped receptacle (such as a horn-shaped basket) that is overflowing especially with fruit and vegetables (such as gourds, ears of corn, apples, and grapes) and that is used as a decorative motif emblematic of abundance — called also horn of plenty

2 : an inexhaustible store : abundance

We marveled at the cornucopia of fruits, meats, toys, fresh fish, baskets, utensils and leather goods for sale in stalls that lined the streets for as far as we could see.
—Guy Garcia

For contemporary performers, soul represents a cornucopia of musical ideas.
—Jon Pareles

3 : a receptacle shaped like a horn or cone

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cornucopian

play \ˌkȯr-nə-ˈkō-pē-ən, -nyə-ˈkō-\ adjective

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Examples of cornucopia in a Sentence

The market is a cornucopia of fruits and vegetables.
The book includes a cornucopia of wonderful stories.

Recent Examples of cornucopia from the Web

Brady's cornucopia of paintings, furniture, tapestries, all manner of face masks, sculptures and figurines collected from across the globe are wonderfully displayed.

— elizabeth zach, chicagotribune.com, "Cuernavaca: A side trip into opulence, only an hour away from Mexico's capital," 9 Apr. 2018
This sandwich is part of the reason: a long torpedo roll stuffed with a grilled cornucopia of rib-eye steak, onions, bell peppers and smoked provolone ($8.49).

— mike sutter, San Antonio Express-News, "5 San Antonio sandwiches to eat right now," 2 Apr. 2018
There was another possible nod to Bernstein in the program itself on Sunday afternoon: Charles Ives’s Second Symphony, a somewhat baffling cornucopia of Americana, and a bit of an adventure for the Viennese.

— james r. oestreich, New York Times, "Review: A Brash Wunderkind, Now 37, Meets an August Ensemble," 26 Feb. 2018
The show is a cornucopia with something, or many things, for everyone.

— naomi fry, The New Yorker, "“Like Life” Shows Seven Hundred Years of the Body," 24 Mar. 2018
The on-site shop is a cornucopia of Lundberg products, including rice, quinoa, snacks, crackers and sweets.

— harriot manley, San Francisco Chronicle, "Farm trail the path to Butte County’s agriculture culture," 15 Mar. 2018
Tucked under the cornucopia of aero and design appendages sit some drop-dead serious bits of hardware that check all the boxes.

— jim resnick, Ars Technica, "America finally gets Honda’s best: The 2018 Civic Type R," 22 Jan. 2018
Citing a veritable cornucopia of ick factors — bacteria, mold, and yeast —they note that manufacturers usually recommend discarding mascara two to four months after purchase.

— NBC News, "Here's how often you should replace everything in your bathroom," 16 Feb. 2018
At the same time, this year’s films -- as almost always is the case -- are an undeniably intriguing lot, offering a cornucopia of styles, stories and emotions.

— mike scott, NOLA.com, "Oscar-nominated shorts 2018 movie review: From Kobe to Emmett Till," 14 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cornucopia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

cornucopia Has Latin Origins and Greek History

Cornucopia comes from the Latin cornu copiae, which translates literally as "horn of plenty." A traditional staple of feasts, the cornucopia is believed to represent the horn of a goat from Greek mythology. According to legend, it was from this horn that the god Zeus was fed as an infant. Later, the horn was filled with flowers and fruits, and given as a present to Zeus. The filled horn (or a receptacle resembling it) has long served as a traditional symbol in art and decoration to suggest a store of abundance. The word first appeared in English in the early 16th century; a century later, it developed the figurative sense of an overflowing supply.