myriad English · revision 1382

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈmɪɹi.əd/, /ˈmɪɹi.æd/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|frm|myriade]] and [[la-lat|myrias]],^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) [[der|grc|μυριάς|tr=muriás|t=ten thousand]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) from ''mūríos'' “countless”,^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) a word of unknown origin.^(Etymonline) Ten thousand was the largest number in Greek expressed by a single word.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The number ten thousand, and countless numbers (1555).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The precise sense “ten thousand” is used mainly in translations from Greek or Latin.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) The adjective “innumerable” is dated to 1765 by Merriam-Webster^(MW Collegiate) and to about 1800 by Etymonline and Barnhart.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1995)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1555 – ten thousand; countless numbers.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)

+ * 1765 – adjective, innumerable.^(MW Collegiate)

+ * about 1800 – adjective, per Etymonline and Barnhart.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1995)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Too many to count; [[innumerable]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Having countless different aspects or elements.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # A vast number, as in ''a myriad of ideas''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Ten thousand.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[myriadly]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The noun is older than the adjective.^(MW Collegiate)^(AHD) The American Heritage Dictionary notes that adjectival use, which began in the 19th century, became so established that some people wrongly came to think it the only correct one; both uses are justified, since Greek ''murias'' could be noun or adjective.^(AHD) Merriam-Webster likewise sees no reason to avoid ''myriads'' or ''a myriad of'', which occur in Milton and Thoreau.^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}