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.

Nearby words

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
Now I will walk with my own feet, look with my own eyes, think my own thoughts, and act from the plenary power of my own will.
Atlantis|Gerhart Hauptmann
A plenary indulgence, once a month, for having said it daily during the month; under the usual conditions.
Mary, Help of Christians|Various

The fight at Cassel had inspired the people of the district with a plenary belief in the powers of the little English force.
The War in the Air; Vol. 1|Walter Raleigh.
So much for Dr. Farrar's impeachment of "orthodoxy" and its doctrine of plenary inspiration.
The Book Of God|G. W. Foote
But the government stood resolutely behind him, and he was invested with plenary powers.
The War With Mexico, Volume II (of 2)|Justin H. Smith

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

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.