plenary

[plee-nuh-ree, plen-uh-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR plenary ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

full; complete; entire; absolute; unqualified: plenary powers.

attended by all qualified members; fully constituted: a plenary session of Congress.

noun, plural ple·na·ries.

a plenary session, meeting, or the like.

Origin of plenary

1375–1425; < Late Latin plēnārius (see plenum, -ary); replacing late Middle English plener < Anglo-French < Late Latin plēnāris (see -ar¹)

Related formsple·na·ri·ly, adverb

Can be confusedplanetary plenary plentiful plenitude

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for plenary

absolute, complete, full, general, inclusive, open, sweeping, thorough

Examples from the Web for plenary

Contemporary Examples of plenary

The hottest debate in Davos on Thursday will come from a series of plenary sessions on Europe.
From Capitalism to the World's Most Vulnerable
Barbie Latza Nadeau
January 26, 2012
A plenary session features a keynote address on “unleashing creativity” from the founder of a promotions site called ePrize.
The Perils of Borrowing Online
Gary Rivlin
October 12, 2011

Historical Examples of plenary

This Committee were entrusted with plenary powers, and there was no appeal from their decision.
The Teacher
Jacob Abbott
For him the blow was about to fall—not for his safety, but for his plenary authority.
Lectures on the French Revolution
John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton
To plenary explanation she ought not—she never shall be driven.
Lady Byron Vindicated
Harriet Beecher Stowe
As to the species of the act, and the plenary effect, it is not.
A Christian Directory (Part 4 of 4)
Richard Baxter
One would suppose that she had plenary indulgences for her conduct.
Court Beauties of Old Whitehall
W. R. H. Trowbridge

British Dictionary definitions for plenary

plenary

adjective

full, unqualified, or completeplenary powers; plenary indulgence

(of assemblies, councils, etc) attended by all the members

noun plural -ries

a book of the gospels or epistles and homilies read at the Eucharist

Derived Formsplenarily, adverb

Word Origin for plenary

C15: from Late Latin plēnārius, from Latin plēnus full; related to Middle English plener; see plenum

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for plenary

adj.

1510s, earlier plenar (mid-13c.), from Old French plenier, from Medieval Latin plenarius "entire, complete," from Latin plenus "full, filled, greatly crowded; stout, pregnant; abundant, abounding; complete," from PIE *pele- (1) "to fill" (see poly-). Related: Plenarily.