abundance

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle English abundaunce, habaundance,[1] from Old French habundance,[2] abondance, from Latin abundantia (“fullness, plenty”), from abundō (“to overflow”). Equivalent to abound +‎ -ance. Displaced Old English geniht (“abundance, plenty”).

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /əˈbʌn.dn̩s/
  • (US) IPA(key): /əˈbʌn.dn̩s/, /əˈbʌn.dn̩ts/, /əˈbn̩.dn̩s/[1]
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Hyphenation: a‧bun‧dance

Noun

abundance (countable and uncountable, plural abundances)

  1. A large quantity; many. [First attested around 1150 to 1350.][2]
    Synonyms: heap, load; see also Thesaurus:lot
    Due to the abundance of art material, the class made a giant collage.
    There is not a great abundance of time, so please don't dawdle.
  2. An overflowing fullness or ample sufficiency; profusion; copious supply; superfluity; plentifulness. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.][2]
    Synonyms: exuberance, copiousness, overflow, plenty, plenteousness, plenitude, plentitude; see also Thesaurus:excess
    • c. 1610?, Walter Raleigh, A Discourse of War:
      It is lamentable to remember what abundance of noble blood hath been shed with small benefit to the Christian state.
  3. Wealth; affluence; plentiful amount of resources. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.][2]
    Synonyms: riches, affluence, wealth; see also Thesaurus:wealth
  4. Frequency, amount, ratio of something within a given environment or sample. [First attested in the late 19th century.][2]
  5. (card games) A bid to take nine or more tricks in solo whist. [First attested in the late 19th century.][2]
  6. (Scotland) enough, sufficiency.[3]

Usage notes

  • Synonym notes: abundance, plenty, exuberance. These words express increasing levels of fullness.
    • plenty denotes there is enough to supply every need; e.g., plenty of food, plenty of money, etc.
    • abundance expresses more, and gives the idea of superfluity or excess; e.g., the abundance of riches, an abundance of wit and humor
    • Exuberance expresses even more, and implies a bursting forth on every side, producing an enormous amount of superfluity or redundancy; e.g. an exuberance of talent, lakes replete with an exuberance of fish

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Philip Babcock Gove (editor), Webster's Third International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged (G. & C. Merriam Co., 1976 [1909], →ISBN), page 8
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief, William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002), “abundance”, in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 10.
  3. ^ “abundance, n.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC.

Czech

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin abundantia.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈabundant͡sɛ]

Noun

abundance f

  1. (literary) abundance
    Synonyms: nadbytek, hojnost

Declension

Declension of abundance (soft feminine)
singular plural
nominative abundance abundance
genitive abundance abundancí
dative abundanci abundancím
accusative abundanci abundance
vocative abundance abundance
locative abundanci abundancích
instrumental abundancí abundancemi
adjectives
  • abundantní

Further reading

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