Numerous

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈnuməɹəs/

Definitions

1. Existing in large quantities or great numbers; many
2. Consisting of a significant amount or many items
3. characterized by a high quantity or multitude of entities or individuals

Etymology: Latin "numerosus" originally carried a musical and poetic sense, meaning "harmonious" or "rhythmic" as well as "abundant." A verse with pleasing cadence was "numerosus," because it was built on measured numbers, so the idea of number lay behind both rhythm and quantity. English took the word from Medieval Latin-influenced Middle English, and the sense of rhythm faded while the plain idea of a great quantity took over. The word is built from "numerus," meaning "number," with the adjective-forming suffix "-osus," which gives the sense "full of." So at root it describes something "full of number." Its close relative, "numerose," entered English as a separate borrowing and stayed closer to the Latin original, so the two forms are doublets, two English words from the same Latin source.

Synonyms: many, countless, multitudinous, various, several

Antonyms: few, sparse, limited, scant, rare