Innumerability

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality of being unable to be counted due to an excessive number
2. The property of something that cannot be precisely counted because it exceeds any finite number
3. A state in which the quantity is so large or infinite that counting it is not feasible

Etymology: Innumerability is built from a chain of Latin pieces, each one adding a layer of meaning. At its heart is "numerus," "number," which gives English its "number" and "numeral." Latin attached the prefix "in-," meaning "not," to form "innumerus," "countless," and then the adjective "innumerabilis," "not able to be counted." The final suffix "-itas" turned that adjective into a noun for the quality itself, so the word names the state of being beyond counting rather than any particular thing that cannot be counted. English borrowed the noun directly from the Latin "innumerabilitas," and the word is a plain, technical formation rather than one with a dramatic coinage story. Its sense has stayed close to the Latin: the property of something so numerous that no finite count can capture it. The word is most often used for things that are vast and uncountable in practice, such as stars or grains of sand.

Synonyms: countlessness, infinity, multitude, vastness, abundance

Antonyms: fewness, scarcity, limitedness, countability, definiteness