Copiousness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state of being extensive, overflowing, or characterized by a significant abundance of material or information
2. A condition marked by a richness or fullness that manifests through plentiful presence or availability of resources
3. The quality of having a very large amount or overflow of something

Etymology: "Copiousness" is a plain formation: the adjective "copious" with the suffix "-ness," which turns an adjective into a noun for a quality or state. "Copious" itself came into English from Latin "copiosus," meaning "abundant" or "full of resources," and that Latin adjective was built on "copia," meaning "plenty" or "supply." The Latin noun "copia" is also the source of "copy," which may surprise readers, since a copy began as an abundance of material before it came to mean a reproduction. The Middle English form was "copyousnesse," which shows the earlier spelling of the adjective with a "y" before the suffix was attached. Over the centuries the spelling settled into the modern form, but the structure stayed the same: a Latinate adjective with an English suffix. The noun names the condition of being copious, whether that means a flood of water, a torrent of words, or a large store of facts.

Synonyms: abundance, profusion, plenty, ample, wealth

Antonyms: scarcity, insufficiency, lack