plethora

[pleth-er-uh]

noun

1. overabundance; excess.

   His crisis brought him a plethora of advice and an almost complete lack of assistance.

2. a large quantity or wide array; a lot.

   The co-op program offers a plethora of advantages for students.

   Visitors are drawn to the main beach, where a plethora of watersports can be enjoyed.

3. Pathology Archaic.,  a morbid condition due to excess of red corpuscles in the blood or increase in the quantity of blood.

plethora

/ ˈplɛθərə, plɛˈθɒrɪk /

noun

1. superfluity or excess; overabundance

2. obsolete,  pathol a condition caused by dilation of superficial blood vessels, characterized esp by a reddish face

Other Word Forms

• plethorically adverb
• plethoric adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of plethora¹

First recorded in 1535–45; from New Latin, from Greek plēthṓra “fullness,” from plḗthein “to fill, be full”; complete ( def. ), full ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of plethora¹

C16: via Medieval Latin from Greek plēthōrē fullness, from plēthein to grow full

Example Sentences

PORTLAND, Ore. — There is a rhetorical battle raging here in this heavily Democratic city, known for its delicious coffee, plethora of fancy restaurants, bespoke doughnuts and also for its small faction of black-clad activists.

From Los Angeles Times

There were also a plethora of household items that contained corrosive acids and toxic ingredients that needed to be collected to prevent them from polluting soil and groundwater.

From Los Angeles Times

"I'd like to think that my life is a plethora of things. My identity is complex."

From BBC

The event will feature exclusive conversations with key guests — including a panel on psychedelic films with Salon staff culture critics — and a plethora of live music sets.

From Salon

There are a plethora of dating reality shows at the moment.

From BBC

Related Words

• deluge 
• excess 
• glut 
• overabundance 
• plenty 
• profusion 
• surfeit