profusion

American  

[pruh-fyoo-zhuhn] / prəˈfyu ʒən /

noun

1. abundance; abundant quantity.

   Synonyms:

   bounty, copiousness

   Antonyms:

   scarcity

2. a great quantity or amount (often followed byof ).

3. lavish spending; extravagance.

   Synonyms:

   waste, excess, profligacy, prodigality

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Synonym Usage

See plenty.

Etymology

Origin of profusion

First recorded in 1535–45; rom Latin profūsiōn- (stem of profūsiō ) “a pouring out, extravagance,” originally, “libation”; see profuse, fusion

Explanation

If there's an abundance of something, you can say that there's a profusion of it. Hilarious and bizarre YouTube videos certainly exist in profusion. The noun profusion comes from a Latin word profusionem, meaning "a pouring out." So you can think of profusion as an outpouring of something — an overflow or cornucopia of it. An area known for wine making should have a profusion of grapes growing along the hillsides. And an awesome performance should garner a profusion of compliments and shouts of "encore!"

Example Sentences

Thou sun, proudly sailing O'er depths of the sky, Dispensing beneath thee Profusion and joy, Until in thy splendour Thou sink'st to the west, Oh, gaze not too boldly On her I love best!

From The Modern Scottish Minstrel, Volume V. The Songs of Scotland of the Past Half Century by Rogers, Charles

Profusion, even at a feast of the gods, would have no charms for her.

From The Earth Trembled by Roe, Edward Payson

His Table, which is then spread for sixteen Guests, is serv'd with more Delicacy than Profusion.

From The Memoirs of Charles-Lewis, Baron de Pollnitz, Volume I Being the Observations He Made in His Late Travels from Prussia thro' Germany, Italy, France, Flanders, Holland, England, &C. in Letters to His Friend. Discovering Not Only the Present State of the Chief Cities and Towns; but the Characters of the Principal Persons at the Several Courts. by P?llnitz, Karl Ludwig von

There was a Profusion of Refreshments of all Kinds.

From The Amours of Zeokinizul, King of the Kofirans Translated from the Arabic of the famous Traveller Krinelbol by Crébillon, Claude Prosper Jolyot de

And indeed Magnificence is well bestowed, and even Profusion seems justifiable in Architecture, because grand Edifices are the principal Ornament of any State.

From The Memoirs of Charles-Lewis, Baron de Pollnitz, Volume I Being the Observations He Made in His Late Travels from Prussia thro' Germany, Italy, France, Flanders, Holland, England, &C. in Letters to His Friend. Discovering Not Only the Present State of the Chief Cities and Towns; but the Characters of the Principal Persons at the Several Courts. by P?llnitz, Karl Ludwig von

Related Words

• glut
• outpouring