Abundance

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /əˈbʌn.dn̩s/

Definitions

1. A large quantity or plentiful supply of something, often more than is needed
2. A state of having or containing large quantities of something in excess of what is required
3. An overflowing supply or profusion of something that exists in considerable measure

Etymology: The Latin root behind "abundance" is a verb meaning "to overflow," and the image is literal: "abundō" described water spilling over the edge of a vessel. From it came "abundantia," "fullness, plenty," which carried the sense of having more than enough rather than merely enough. English had its own word for plenty before this one arrived. Old English "geniht" meant much the same thing, but it was displaced when the Latin-derived form came into use, travelling into English through Old French as "abondance" and the spelling "habundance," with the initial h later dropped. The English word is therefore built from "abound" plus the suffix "-ance," so the noun is still tied to the verb that describes things spilling over.

Synonyms: plenty, profusion, wealth, ample, plentifulness

Antonyms: scarcity, lack, deficiency, shortage, insufficiency