Plethoras

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An overwhelming surplus of items or qualities that exceeds normal limits; a notable profusion of elements that significantly surpasses what is required; a condition marked by an excessive variety or number of things present in a given context
2. A quantity that greatly surpasses what is necessary or usual, often producing a sense of overload
3. An amount so large it exceeds normal or desired limits, resulting in abundance beyond need

Etymology: "Plethoras" is simply the plural of "plethora," so the real story belongs to its singular. The root is Ancient Greek "plēthōra," meaning "fullness" or "satiety," the state of having eaten enough. That in turn comes from "plēthō," "to be full," which gives the word a physical, bodily origin: fullness of the stomach before it describes any surplus of things. The Greeks and later Latin writers used the term in medicine, where a "plethora" meant an excess of blood or bodily humours, a condition believed to cause illness. English borrowed it from Late Latin in this technical sense, and the everyday meaning of an overabundance came later, as the medical overtone of too much of something faded into a general sense of excess.

Synonyms: excesses, overflows, surpluses, abundances, gluts

Antonyms: shortages, deficits, scarcities, lack, paucities