panoply
noun
William BauckeS. P. B. MaisLewis Mumford
Did you know?
Despite having Greek origins and similar sounds, panoply is not related—etymologically or semantically—to monopoly; its history has more to do with Mediterranean warfare than Mediterranean Avenue. Panoply comes from the Greek word panoplia, which referred to the full suit of armor worn by hoplites, heavily armed infantry soldiers of ancient Greece. Panoplia is a blend of the prefix pan-, meaning “all,” and hopla, meaning “arms” or “armor.” (As you may have guessed, hopla is also an ancestor of hoplite.) Panoply entered English in the early 17th century with its Greek use intact: it referred to a full set of armor—an impressive array, you might say, of protective bits and bobs, from breastplates to brassards. Over time, panoply developed its figurative sense referring to an impressive, extensive collection or array of things, as in “She won the game by bankrupting her opponents with a panoply of properties built up with houses and hotels.”
Examples of panoply in a Sentence
Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2025
Our palm panoply extends to the ritzy Canary Island date palm, the pygmy date and windmill palms, and a mini-monarchy of queen and king palms, which look a little haphazardly asymmetrical.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2025
For Wilson Bentley, the late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century microphotographic innovator and bona-fide snowflake obsessive, contemplating the dazzling panoply of kaleidoscopic snow-crystal formations was a pastime that never lost its lustre.
—Chris Wiley, The New Yorker, 15 Feb. 2025
But convincing the United States to sign and ratify this panoply of international instruments might be plausible.
—Jorge G. CastaÑeda, Foreign Affairs, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for panoply
Cite this Entry
“Panoply.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/panoply. Accessed 7 May. 2025.
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panoply
noun
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