plenary

adjective

ple·​na·​ry ˈple-nə-rē 

also

ˈplē- 

1

: complete in every respect : absolute, unqualified

plenary power

2

: fully attended or constituted by all entitled to be present

a plenary session

Did you know?

In the 14th century, the monk Robert of Brunne described a situation in which all the knights of King Arthur's Round Table were present at court by writing, "When Arthures court was plener, and alle were comen, fer and ner.…" For many years, plener (also spelled plenar) served English well for both senses that we reserve for plenary today. But we'd borrowed plener from Anglo-French, and, although the French had relied on Latin plenus ("full") for their word, the revival of interest in the Classics during the English Renaissance led scholars to prefer purer Latin origins. In the 15th century, English speakers turned to Late Latin plenarius and came up with plenary. (Plenarius also comes from plenus, which is the source of our plenty and replenish as well.)

Synonyms

• compleat
• complete
• comprehensive
• entire
• full
• grand
• intact
• integral
• perfect
• total
• whole

Choose the Right Synonym for plenary

full, complete, plenary, replete mean containing all that is wanted or needed or possible.

full implies the presence or inclusion of everything that is wanted or required by something or that can be held, contained, or attained by it.

a full schedule

complete applies when all that is needed is present.

a complete picture of the situation

plenary adds to complete the implication of fullness without qualification.

given plenary power

replete implies being filled to the brim or to satiety.

replete with delightful details

Examples of plenary in a Sentence

A plenary meeting of the 500 members was held last summer.

plenary sessions of the legislature

Recent Examples on the Web

The consequences of 1898 have been enduring, particularly for Puerto Rico and Guam, which remain unincorporated territories of the U.S. under the plenary power of Congress, a decision sustained by the Supreme Court in the Insular Cases of 1901. —Taína Caragol, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Aug. 2023

In 2016’s Puerto Rico v. Sanchez Valle, the U.S. Supreme Court held that Puerto Rico has no real political sovereignty and that whatever authority its government appears to have actually emanates from the plenary powers of Congress. —Alberto C. Medina, The New Republic, 24 July 2023

The next wave of Moore’s Law will rely on a developing concept called system technology co-optimization, said Ann B. Kelleher, general manager of technology development at Intel in an interview with IEEE Spectrum ahead of her plenary talk at the 2022 IEEE Electron Device Meeting (IEDM). —IEEE Spectrum, 5 Dec. 2022

And by the way, Mr. Garland had described David Weiss's running room as sort of plenary, right? —Nbc Universal, NBC News, 13 Aug. 2023

Raising grain output was one of 12 economic priorities the party adopted during a plenary meeting in December. —Hyung-Jin Kim, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Feb. 2023

And at last year’s plenary sessions at the 26th Conference of Parties (COP) in Glasgow, men had a disproportionately higher share of active speaking roles at the important plenary sessions and took up 74 percent of the speaking time. —Catherine McKenna, Scientific American, 8 Nov. 2022

No, the Arizona Legislature does not and absolutely should not have plenary power to overturn election results. —Sam Kmack, The Arizona Republic, 15 Oct. 2022

An even more recent case in 2015, Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission v. Arizona State Legislature, held that the Elections Clause authority for state legislatures isn’t plenary in nature and instead works through the channels and processes laid out by state constitutions. —Matt Ford, The New Republic, 13 Sep. 2022

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Word History

Etymology

Middle English plenarie, borrowed from Late Latin plēnārius, from Latin plēnus "full" + -ārius -ary entry 2 — more at full entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing plenary

• plenary indulgence

• plenary indulgence

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Kids Definition

plenary

adjective

ple·​na·​ry ˈplē-nə-rē  ˈplen-ə- 

1

: complete in all ways : full

plenary powers

2

: including all who have a right to attend

a plenary session of an assembly

Legal Definition

plenary

adjective

ple·​na·​ry ˈplē-nə-rē, ˈple- 

: full and complete in every respect: as

a

: absolute sense 1

plenary power

b

: fully attended or constituted

a plenary session of the legislature

c

: including all steps in due order

a plenary proceeding

compare summary