plus English · revision 3144

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1579|origins=la plūs}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /plʌs/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|la|plūs|t=more]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(NODE 1998) the comparative of multus “much”,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) Old Latin plous, altered under the influence of minus from *pleos,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) from [[ine-pro|*pleh₁-|alt=*pelə-|t=to fill]];^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) it is akin to Greek pleíōn “more” and Latin plēnus “full”.^(MWU 2024) The sense “added to” did not exist in Latin of any period;^(Barnhart 1988) Barnhart thinks it arose in the commercial language of the Middle Ages, and the OED notes that Leonardo of Pisa used plus and minus in 1202.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) The same Latin word is the source of [[plural]].^(Cresswell 2021)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The spoken form of the sign + in algebra, a positive quantity: 1579,^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1988) the 1570s;^(Etymonline) Merriam-Webster has a first use in 1537.^(MWU 2024) The sign itself was well known from at least the late 15th century and is perhaps an abbreviation of Latin et “and”.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The noun, the plus sign, is from 1654.^(Barnhart 1988)^(MW Collegiate) As a preposition between two numbers, to indicate addition, it is from 1668^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate) or the 1660s.^(Etymonline) The adjective, “additional, extra”, is from 1756,^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) and in electricity “positive” from 1747.^(OED 1989) An advantage or extra is from 1791, in Walpole's letters.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) After a number, to mean “and somewhat more”, it is attested by 1902,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) and as a conjunction, “and in addition”, from 1968, colloquial and chiefly North American.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) ''Plus fours'', from 1920, are knickerbockers four inches longer than usual, to give an overhang at the knee, associated with golfers.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Cresswell 2021)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1579 – the oral rendering of the sign +.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1654 – noun, the plus sign.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1668 – preposition, added to.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1747 – electrically positive.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1756 – adjective, additional.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1791 – noun, an advantage.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1902 – after a number, and more.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1920 – ''plus fours''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1968 – conjunction, and in addition.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Preposition===

+ # Increased by; with the [[addition]] of: ''two plus two''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # Along with; besides.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ===Conjunction===

+ # ''(informal)'' And also; moreover.^(AHD)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Greater than zero; [[positive]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # Additional or extra; more than expected.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # Slightly higher than a given grade: ''B plus''.^(AHD)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # The plus sign (+).^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # A favorable factor; an [[advantage]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # An added or positive quantity.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[eleven-plus]]

+ * [[plus or minus]]

+ * [[ne plus ultra]]

+ * [[rien ne va plus]]

+ * [[plus fours]]

+ * [[plus sign]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[minus]]

+ * [[plural]]

+ * [[surplus]]

+ * [[plenty]]

+ * [[full]]

+ * [[poly-]]

+ * [[nonplus]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The conjunctive use, “and, besides”, as in ''it's cheap, plus it's fast'', is informal, and many writers avoid it in formal prose.^(AHD)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}