Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “plenty” come from?

Plenty comes from Middle English plentie, from Anglo-Norman plenté, from Latin plenitas meaning fullness, derived from Latin plenus meaning full, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- meaning to fill.

plenty (English): A more-than-adequate amount; More than enough;...

Definitions

  1. A more-than-adequate amount; More than enough;...

Ancestry of “plenty”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishplentie—
2Anglo-Normanplentéfullness; abundance; much; a lot
3Old Frenchplentéfullness; abundance; much; a lot
4Latinplēnitātem—
5LatinplenitasThe state of being full; fullness; abundance,...
6Latinplēnus—
7Proto-Italicplēnosfull
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpl̥h₁nósfull
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpleh₁-to fill

Words derived from “plenty”

  • planti
  • plantihan
  • plenti
  • plänti
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- →