Multitudinousness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state of having a great number or large variety of entities is identified as copiousness
2. A condition characterized by an overwhelming quantity or extensive diversity of elements is termed plenitude
3. The quality of being numerous or varied in a remarkable way reflects richness and abundance

Etymology: "Multitudinousness" is a straightforward formation: the adjective "multitudinous" with the suffix "-ness" attached, turning a quality into a noun. The adjective itself is older and carries the main story. It is built from "multitude," which came into English from Latin "multitudo," a noun derived from "multus," meaning "many," and the suffix "-ous," meaning "full of," which gives the sense of something abounding in multitudes. The suffix "-ness" is native English, descending from Old English "-nes(s)," and it has long been used to form nouns of state or quality from adjectives. Attaching it to "multitudinous" produces a noun meaning the condition of being numerous or varied in a striking way. Because the adjective was already well established, the noun is a transparent, almost mechanical extension rather than a word with a separate history of its own.

Synonyms: abundance, plethora

Antonyms: scarcity, lack