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
- A more-than-adequate amount; More than enough;...
Ancestry of “plenty”, step by step
plenty traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English plentie
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | plentie | — |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | plenté | fullness; abundance; much; a lot |
| 3 | Old French | plenté | fullness; abundance; much; a lot |
| 4 | Latin | plēnitātem | — |
| 5 | Latin | plenitas | The state of being full; fullness; abundance,... |
| 6 | Latin | plēnus | full; filled; complete |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | plēnos | full |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pl̥h₁nós | full |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pleh₁- | to fill |
via Middle English plente
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | plente | plenty |
via Middle English plentee
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | plentee | — |