plethora

[pleth-er-uh] /ˈplɛθ ər ə/
noun
1.
overabundance; excess:
a plethora of advice and a paucity of assistance.
2.
Pathology Archaic. a morbid condition due to excess of red corpuscles in the blood or increase in the quantity of blood.
Origin
1535-45; < Neo-Latin < Greek plēthṓra fullness
Can be confused
dearth, plethora.
Examples from the web for plethora
  • The proper word may be landslide rather than plethora.
  • But the plethora of commercial interruptions is often hard to take.
  • In the humanities, for instance, there are a plethora of book prizes.
  • We've already got a plethora of devices and substances for that.
  • Party lights in the shape of ice-cream cones dangled from the awning, and a plethora of hand-drawn signs obscured the windows.
  • It will be streamed live to all the conference rooms which normally hold a plethora of simultaneous sessions.
  • You will find that you quickly have a plethora of material to choose from.
  • The problem with people of your kind is that your'e looking for one solution when the reality asks for a plethora of them.
  • The biggest barriers to building a radio audience are the polarizing power of music and the plethora of choices on the dial.
  • Things slipped his mind — from when to use “its” and “it's” to his girlfriend's birthday to his plethora of passwords.
British Dictionary definitions for plethora

plethora

/ˈplɛθərə/
noun
1.
superfluity or excess; overabundance
2.
(pathol, obsolete) a condition caused by dilation of superficial blood vessels, characterized esp by a reddish face
Derived Forms
plethoric (plɛˈθɒrɪk) adjective
plethorically, adverb
Word Origin
C16: via Medieval Latin from Greek plēthōrē fullness, from plēthein to grow full
Contemporary definitions for plethora
noun

excess; overabundance

Word Origin

Greek 'fullness'

Word Origin and History for plethora
n.

1540s, a medical word for "excess of body fluid," from Late Latin plethora, from Greek plethore "fullness," from plethein "be full" (see pleio-). Figurative meaning "too-muchness, overfullness in any respect" is first recorded 1700. Related: Plethoric.

plethora in Medicine

plethora pleth·o·ra (plěth'ər-ə)
n.

  1. An excess of blood in the circulatory system or in one organ or area.

  2. An excess of any of the body fluids.

ple·thor'ic (plě-thôr'ĭk) adj.