Ample

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈæm.pəl/

Definitions

1. Large enough to meet needs or more than sufficient in amount
2. Having abundant space or quantity beyond what is required
3. More than adequate in size, extent, or plenty in supply

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "ample" is that it contains a rare trace of an older root that also gave English "amble" and "ambition"? No, that is not supported here, so let me stick to what the record shows. The word came into English in the late Middle English period, borrowed from Middle French "ample", which itself came from Latin "amplus", meaning "large". That Latin adjective passed through Old French before reaching English, so the English word arrived already carrying the sense of abundance and size. Latin "amplus" is usually linked to "ambi-" and "plus", and the earlier root behind "plenus", meaning "full". Those connections are uncertain in the source, so the safest picture is that "ample" began as a word for physical largeness. Over time its sense shifted from "large in extent" toward "more than sufficient", which is the meaning it carries today.

Synonyms: sufficient, plentiful, abundant, copious, bountiful

Antonyms: insufficient, scant, meager, limited, sparse