abundant English · revision 39676

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=a1382, Wycliffite Bible|origins=la unda}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /əˈbʌn.dənt/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|aboundaunt]], also [[m|enm|habundaunt]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) [[bor|xno|abundant]] and in part directly [[bor|la|abundāns|t=overflowing, abounding]],^(OED 2026)^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) the present participle of [[m|la|abundō|t=to overflow]],^(Etymonline)^(AHD 2024)^(SOED 2002) the verb behind [[abound]].^(Etymonline)^(AHD 2024) The Latin verb was formed from [[m|la|ab-|t=away, off]] and [[m|la|undō|t=to rise in waves]], from [[m|la|unda|t=wave]],^(Etymonline)^(AHD 2024) which Etymonline and the American Heritage Dictionary trace to the root [[ine-pro|*wed-|t=water, wet]].^(Etymonline)^(AHD 2024) Barnhart notes that some writers of the 14th and 15th centuries probably took the word straight from the Latin.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Overflowing, more than enough; existing in great quantity, plentiful: a1382, in the early version of the Wycliffite Bible.^(OED 2026) Barnhart's first example is from about 1380, in Chaucer's translation of Boethius,^(Barnhart 1988) and Dictionary.com dates the word to 1325–75.^(Dictionary.com 2016)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The sense "possessing something in great plenty, rich in", with ''in'' or formerly ''of'', is recorded from c1405, in Chaucer's ''Clerk's Tale'',^(OED 2026)^(SOED 2002) and in early use the word could also mean bountiful or fruitful.^(OED 2026) In mathematics an abundant number, one whose divisors add up to more than itself, is recorded from 1557, in Robert Recorde's ''Whetstone of Witte''.^(OED 2026)^(SOED 2002) An adverbial use, "in abundance", is found from a1450.^(OED 2026) Johnson (1755) defined it as plentiful and exuberant.^(Johnson 1755) Modern dictionaries add technical senses in chemistry and physics, of how common an element, mineral or isotope is relative to others.^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c1380 – Barnhart's first example, in Chaucer's ''Boece''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * a1382 – plentiful, more than sufficient.^(OED 2026)

+ * c1405 – rich in something, with ''in''.^(OED 2026)

+ * a1450 – adverb, abundantly.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1557 – mathematics, of a number exceeded by the sum of its divisors.^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Existing in large quantities; more than enough; [[plentiful]]: ''abundant rainfall''.^(Collins 2023)^(MWU 2024)

+ # Having a plentiful supply of something, with ''in'' or ''with'': ''a river abundant in trout''.^(Collins 2023)^(MWU 2024)

+ # ''(chemistry, physics)'' Of an element, mineral or isotope, occurring to a stated extent in relation to others.^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(mathematics)'' Of a number, smaller than the sum of its [[divisor|alt=divisors]].^(OED 2026)^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[abundantly]]

+ * [[superabundant]]

+ * [[abundant number]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[abound]]

+ * [[abundance]]

+ * [[redundant]]

+ * [[undulate]]

+ * [[water]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Dictionary.com refers ''abundant'' to its synonym study at ''plentiful'', and gives ''sparse'' and ''scarce'' as antonyms.^(Dictionary.com 2016)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}