Dictionary

plethora en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /plɪˈθɔːɹə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• plĕʹthərə (Canada, General-American)
• plĕʹthərə (Received-Pronunciation)
• plĕʹdhərə (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈplɛθəɹə/ (Canada, General-American)
• /ˈplɛðəɹə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• [ˈpleθɹə] (Australia, New-Zealand)
• audio Queensland
• [ˈplɛθɹə] (Canada, General-American)
• /ˈpleθəɹə/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
• /ˈplɛθəɹə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• plĭthôʹrə (Received-Pronunciation)
• (California) audio

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin plēthōra, from Ancient Greek πληθώρα (plēthṓra, “fullness, satiety”), from πλήθω (plḗthō, “to be full”) + -η (-ē, nominal suffix).

Meanings

1. (countable, followed by of, uncountable, usually) An excessive amount or number; an abundance.
   • Meanwhile other hands had not been idle, so that above the dreary plethora of trash like Marquis von Grosse's Horrid Mysteries..., there arose many memorable weird works both in English and German. 1927, H.P. Lovecraft, Supernatural Horror in Literature (The Aftermath of Gothic Fiction):
   • 1817, Francis Jeffrey, review of Lalla Rookh, in the Edinburgh Review He labours under a plethora of wit and imagination.
   • The menu offers a plethora of cuisines from around the world.
   • Jefe: We have many beautiful piñatas for your birthday celebration, each one filled with little surprises! El Guapo: How many piñatas? Jefe: Many piñatas, many! El Guapo: Jefe, would you say I have a plethora of piñatas? Jefe: A what? El Guapo: A plethora. 1986, Lorne Michaels, Steve Martin, Randy Newman, ¡Three Amigos! (film)
   • I pushed my seat right up before the most insolent gazer, a short fat man, with a plethora of cravat round his neck, and fixing my gaze on his, gave him more gazes than he sent. 1849, Herman Melville, Redburn: His First Voyage. […], 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC:
   • The story of the woodhen is one outstanding conservation triumph in a plethora of tragedy. 2005, Sean Dooley, The Big Twitch, Sydney: Allen and Unwin, page 233:
2. (countable, uncountable) Excess of blood in the skin, especially in the face and especially chronically.
   • [Y]our Character at Present is like a Person in a Plethora, absolutely dying of too much Health— 1777, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The School for Scandal, IV.iii:
   • The food necessary for the maintenance of his dog, a bull-terrier, in the condition of ferocious plethora to which it was accustomed, he generously declared himself willing to pay for out of his own pocket, […] 1953, Samuel Beckett, Watt, [Paris]: Olympia Press, →OCLC:

Forms

Coordinates

flushing (excess of blood in the skin) · ruddiness (excess of blood in the skin) · blushing (excess of blood in the skin) · floridity (excess of blood in the skin)

Deriveds

plethoral

Hypernyms

congestion (excess of blood in the skin) · injection (excess of blood in the skin) · hyperemia (excess of blood in the skin) · hyperperfusion (excess of blood in the skin) · engorgement (excess of blood in the skin)

Relateds

rash · plethoric · erythema

Synonyms

glut (excess, abundance) · slew (excess, abundance) · surfeit (excess, abundance) · myriad (excess, abundance) · superfluity (excess, abundance)

Translations (47)

mk изо́билство (excess, abundance) · cmn 過量 /过量 (excess, abundance) · uk надмірність (excess, abundance) · uk повнокров'я (excess of blood in the skin) · es plétora (excess, abundance) · mk мно́штво (excess, abundance) · ru изоби́лие (excess, abundance) · nl overmaat (excess, abundance) · de Übermaß (excess, abundance) · it pletora (excess, abundance) · nb overflod (excess, abundance) · ru избы́ток (excess, abundance) · tr doluluk (excess, abundance) · bg изобилие (excess, abundance) · bg излишък (excess, abundance) · pt infinidade (excess, abundance) · cmn 過剩 /过剩 (excess, abundance) · ru оби́лие (excess, abundance) · tr çokluk (excess, abundance) · el πληθώρα (excess, abundance) · fi ylenpalttisuus (excess, abundance) · gl plétora (excess, abundance) · pt série (excess, abundance) · sv överflöd (excess, abundance) · nn overflod (excess, abundance) · nb blodoverfylling (excess of blood in the skin) · pt pletora (excess, abundance) · hu túltengés (excess, abundance) · pt abundância (excess, abundance) · cs nadbytek (excess, abundance) · cmn 過多 /过多 (excess, abundance) · pt plêiade (excess, abundance) · hu özön (excess, abundance) · tr fazlalık (excess, abundance) · cs přemíra (excess, abundance) · fi yletön määrä (excess, abundance) · fi punoitus (excess of blood in the skin) · ca plètora (excess, abundance) · de Fülle (excess, abundance) · fr pléthore (excess, abundance) · pt profusão (excess, abundance) · la plethora (excess, abundance) · he שָׁלָל (excess, abundance) · uk надлишок (excess, abundance) · mi maruru (excess, abundance) · cs spousta (excess, abundance) · da overflod (excess, abundance)