plenitude

See also: plénitude

English

Etymology

From Middle English plenitude, that borrowed from Anglo-Norman plenitude, Middle French plenitude, and their source, Latin plēnitūdō.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈplɛnɪtjuːd/

Noun

plenitude (countable and uncountable, plural plenitudes)

1. Fullness; completeness. [from 15th c.]
   • 1838, [Letitia Elizabeth] Landon (indicated as editor), chapter XII, in Duty and Inclination: […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 152:

     The idea that the love of Philimore had abated, when hers for him seemed in its plenitude, was a most severe aggravation of her misfortune.

   • 2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 393:

     Louis ignored him, recalling the parlements to the plenitude of their powers on 23 September.

2. (heraldry and older astronomy) Fullness (of the moon). [from 19th c.]
3. An abundance; a full supply. [from 17th c.]
   • 1976 September, Saul Bellow, Humboldt’s Gift, New York, N.Y.: Avon Books, →ISBN, page 156:

     Mankind's old greatness was created in scarcity. But what may we expect from plenitude?

4. (philosophy) The metaphysical idea that the universe contains everything that is possible.

Derived terms

• plenitude principle
• plentitude

Related terms

• plenty
• plenitudine

Translations

abundance, plenty

• Bulgarian: изобилие (bg) n (izobilie)
• French: plénitude (fr) f
• German: Fülle (de) f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: overflod m

• Russian: изоби́лие (ru) (izobílije), оби́лие (ru) (obílije)
• Spanish: plenitud (es) f, totalidad (es) f

fullness, completeness

• Bulgarian: пълнота (bg) f (pǎlnota), цялост (bg) f (cjalost)
• French: plénitude (fr) f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: overflod m, rikdom m

• Russian: полнота́ (ru) (polnotá)
• Spanish: plenitud (es) f, compleción f

Old French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin plēnitūdō.

Noun

plenitude oblique singular, f (oblique plural plenitudes, nominative singular plenitude, nominative plural plenitudes)

1. plenitude; fullness

Descendants

• → English: plenitude
• French: plénitude

References

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (plenitude, supplement)
• plenitude on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub