From Middle English plurelle, from Old French plurel (“plural”), Borrowed from Latin plūrālis (“of or belonging to more than one, belonging to many”, adjective), from plūs, plūris (“more”) + -ālis.
Meanings
Consisting of or containing more than one of something.
The notion of culture is one whose meanings are plural and shifting.
Than plural faith which is too much by one: Thou counterfeit to thy true friend! 1594, William Shakespeare, Two Gentlemen of Verona:
In systems of number, not singular or not singular or dual.
English nouns usually have singular and plural forms.
(comparable) Pluralistic.
The Hong Kong and Singapore markets are way more "plural" than most Western economies, but they have not led to pluralistic politics. 2006, Suisheng Zhao, Debating political reform in China: rule of law vs. democratization, page 29:
Yet More's conscience was responding to a world just a little more plural than the world he was born in 2011, Harald E. Braun with Edward Vallance, The Renaissance Conscience, page 50:
History is perhaps more plural than traditionally imagined, leaving room for more groups to express their story. 2007, Lachelle Renee Hannickel, From cultural transgressions to literary transformations: ..., page 195:
Generally the girls tend to perceive their social world as somewhat more plural than boys do. Several of these questions reveal that there are more boys (61%) than girls (39%) who 'do not know' about the religion of others 2009, Pille Valk, Teenagers' perspectives on the role of religion in their lives, ..., page 281:
Although the nation was far more plural than Canada in the number of its Christian groups 1987, Mircea Eliade, Charles J. Adams, editors, The Encyclopedia of religion, volume 3:
(not-comparable, of a person, qualifier:multiplicity) Having some form of multiplicity, especially dissociative identity disorder.
de Mehrzahl- (more than one) · nl meervoudige (more than one) · hi अनेक (more than one) · it plurale (more than one) · vo plunumik (more than one) · da plural (more than one) · ta பன் (more than one) · es plural (more than one) · ko 복수 (more than one) · th พหูพจน์ (more than one) · sq shumës (more than one) · oc plural (more than one) · de plural (more than one) · io plurala (more than one) · hy հոգնակի (more than one) · mr अनेक (more than one) · sv plural (more than one) · wa pluriyal (more than one) · is í fleirtölu (more than one) · gl plural (more than one) · sv flertal (more than one) · fa جمع (more than one) · ga iolra (more than one) · bg множествен (more than one) · sh pluralni (more than one) · ro plural (more than one) · de Plural- (more than one) · ru мно́жественный (more than one) · uk множи́нний (more than one) · grc πληθυντικός (more than one) · pl mnogi (more than one) · fr pluriel (more than one) · gd iolra (more than one) · fa پر (more than one) · pt plural (more than one) · lij plurâle (more than one) · he לשון רבים (more than one) · is fleirtölu- (more than one) · cmn 複數 /复数 (more than one) · de pluralisch (more than one) · cy lluosog (more than one) · eo plurnombra (more than one) · nl meervoudig (more than one) · is fleir- (more than one) · sh плурални (more than one) · id jamak (more than one) · el πληθυντικός (more than one) · sh множински (more than one) · cmn 眾數 /众数 (more than one) · sh množinski (more than one) · ms jamak (more than one) · da flere (more than one) · fi monikko- (more than one) · fi monikollinen (more than one) · tr çok (more than one) · uk чисельний (more than one) · kab asget (more than one) · ca plural (more than one) · la plūrālis (more than one) · da flertal (more than one) · ta பல (more than one) · is marg- (more than one) · de mehrfach (more than one) · ja 複数 (more than one)
From Middle English plurelle, from Old French plurel (“plural”), Borrowed from Latin plūrālis (“of or belonging to more than one, belonging to many”, adjective), from plūs, plūris (“more”) + -ālis.
Meanings
(uncountable) The plural number. In English, referring to more or less than one of something.
"There are three numbers; the singular, the dual, and the plural. [...] The dual is sometimes used to denote two objects, but even here the plural is more common." 1895, William W. Goodwin, A Greek Grammar. Revised and enlarged., page 34:
(countable) A word in the form in which it potentially refers to something other than one person or thing; and other than two things if the language has a dual form.
Malay is the lingua franca of several Southeast Asia countries and has been simplified by its use as a second language by non-native speakers.
For example, the Malay plural is formed by repeating a word twice – buku means book and buku-buku means books. 2021 April 25, John Malathronas, “Which languages are easiest – and most difficult – for native English speakers to learn?”, in CNN, archived from the original on 22 Mar 2022:
The plural of 'cat' is 'cats', but the plural of 'child' is 'children'.
(countable, qualifier:multiplicity) A person with some form of multiplicity, particularly dissociative identity disorder.
Singlet and monocultural identity is so normalized that many voice hearers and plurals don’t share their experiences with anyone, living in isolation (and sometimes in poverty) and spending considerable inner resources to manage postures and performances of ‘mental health’. 2016, Lori F. Clarke, “Embracing Polyphony: Voices, Improvisation, and the Hearing Voices Network”, in Intersectionalities: A Global Journal of Social Work Analysis, Research, Polity, and Practice, volume 5, number 2, page 6:
Autistics, plurals, and gender nonconforming individuals are all stigmatized as not being capable of understanding their own experiences and are repeatedly attacked with narratives intended to make them doubt their own emotions, memories, and sense of self. 2020, Tynan Drake, "Intersectional Representation: LGBTQ+ and neurodiverse voices in transmedia fiction", paper submitted to Ball State University, page 14
More strongly, respect might require that singlets themselves accept, in the context of interacting with plurals, that people are truly distinct people. 2020, Elizabeth Schechter, “What we can learn about respect and identity from plurals”, in JPCA Mag, number 1, page 38:
sh množina (word in plural form) · yi מערצאָל (the plural number) · nl meervoud (word in plural form) · cmn 眾數 /众数 (the plural number) · fy meartal (word in plural form) · hu többes szám (the plural number) · lo ພະຫຸພົດ (word in plural form) · sv pluralis (the plural number) · wa pluriyal (word in plural form) · de Plural (word in plural form) · et mitmus (word in plural form) · vi số nhiều (word in plural form) · sv flertal (the plural number) · pt plural (the plural number) · vi số nhiều (the plural number) · cmn 複數 /复数 (word in plural form) · da flertal (the plural number) · gd iolra (word in plural form) · de Pluralform (word in plural form) · sv pluralis (word in plural form) · mk мн. (the plural number) · ky көптүк сан (the plural number) · sq shumës (the plural number) · ang maniġfeald (word in plural form) · be мно́жны лік (word in plural form) · km ពហុវចនៈ (word in plural form) · lb Pluriel (word in plural form) · ru мно́жественное число́ (the plural number) · wa pluriyal (the plural number) · sq shumës (word in plural form) · hy հոգնակի (word in plural form) · tr çoğul (word in plural form) · et mitmus (the plural number) · ru мн. (the plural number) · pl liczba mnoga (the plural number) · lv daudzskaitlis (the plural number) · bg мно́жествено число́ (word in plural form) · nrf pluriel (word in plural form) · sh plùrāl (the plural number) · sk množné číslo (word in plural form) · az cəm (word in plural form) · ka მრავლობითი (word in plural form) · mn олон тоо (word in plural form) · sh множѝна (the plural number) · fr pluriel (the plural number) · ko 복수 (the plural number) · uk множина́ (the plural number) · oc plural (word in plural form) · cmn 複數 /复数 (the plural number) · ko 복수형 (word in plural form) · uk множина́ (word in plural form) · de Plural (the plural number) · tg ҷамъ (word in plural form) · mk множина (word in plural form) · nb flertall (word in plural form) · ru мно́жественное число́ (word in plural form) · sk plurál (word in plural form) · mn олон тоо (the plural number) · te బహువచనము (word in plural form) · id bentuk jamak (word in plural form) · th พหูพจน์ (word in plural form) · nv díkwíjíltʼéego (word in plural form) · be мно́жны лік (the plural number) · lb Méizuel (word in plural form) · sv flertal (word in plural form) · ka მრავლობითი რიცხვი (word in plural form) · es plural (the plural number) · sh плу̀ра̄л (the plural number) · fa جمع (word in plural form) · sh plural (word in plural form) · fa جمع (the plural number) · la multitudo (the plural number) · vo plunum (word in plural form) · kk көптік жалғау (the plural number) · ja 複数 (the plural number) · ko 복수 (word in plural form) · nv tááʼ dóó baʼąą (word in plural form) · ca plural (word in plural form) · bg мно́жествено число́ (the plural number) · de Mehrzahl (the plural number) · sh množìna (the plural number) · sh множина (word in plural form) · lt daugiskaita (the plural number) · sv plural (word in plural form) · nv naaki dóó baʼąą (word in plural form) · da flertal (word in plural form) · pt plural (word in plural form) · el πληθυντικός (word in plural form) · gl plural (word in plural form) · ja 複数 (word in plural form) · pl liczba mnoga (word in plural form) · ro plural (word in plural form) · ja 複数形 (word in plural form) · sl množina (the plural number) · az cəm (the plural number) · ru мн. ч. (the plural number) · tg ҷамъ (the plural number) · lv daudzskaitlis (word in plural form) · ug كۆپلۈك سان (the plural number) · nl meervoud (the plural number) · izh monikko (word in plural form) · is fleirtala (word in plural form) · es plural (word in plural form) · ckb پِڕژِمار (word in plural form) · ta பன்மை (word in plural form) · sh плурал (word in plural form) · la (numerus) pluralis (the plural number) · ar جَمْع (word in plural form) · tl maramihan (the plural number) · sw wingi (word in plural form) · sk plurál (the plural number) · hu többes számú alak (word in plural form) · gl plural (the plural number) · my ဗဟုဝုစ်ကိန်း (word in plural form) · hi बहुवचन (word in plural form) · ky көптүк (the plural number) · eo multenombro (the plural number) · fr pluriel (word in plural form) · lt daugiskaita (word in plural form) · ca plural (the plural number) · cmn 眾數 /众数 (word in plural form) · fo fleirtal (word in plural form) · la pluralitas (the plural number) · fi monikko (word in plural form) · sl množina (word in plural form) · ta பன்மை (the plural number) · la numerus multitudinis (the plural number) · fi monikko (the plural number) · nb flertall (the plural number) · pal ws (word in plural form) · ar الْجَمْع (the plural number) · sk množné číslo (the plural number) · cs množné číslo (word in plural form) · it plurale (word in plural form) · hy հոգնակի թիվ (word in plural form) · mk множина (the plural number) · tr çokluk (word in plural form)