different between fecund vs plentiful

English

Alternative forms

• fœcund (hypercorrect, obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle French fécond, from Latin fecundus (“fertile”), which is related to f?tus and f?mina (“woman”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?f?.k?nd/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?fi?.k?nd/
• Rhymes: -?nd

Adjective

fecund (comparative more fecund, superlative most fecund)

1. (formal) Highly fertile; able to produce offspring.
2. (figuratively) Leading to new ideas or innovation.
   • 1906, Charles Sanders Pierce, "The Basis of Pragmatism in the Normative Sciences", in The Essential Pierce: Selected Philosophical Writings, volume II, page 373

     This idea of Aristotle's has proved marvellously fecund; and in truth it is the only idea covering quite the whole area of cenoscopy that has shown any marked uberosity.

Synonyms

• (highly fertile): fertile
• (leading to new ideas or innovation): fertile, productive, prolific

Related terms

• fecundity

Translations

Romanian

Etymology

From French fécond, from Latin fecundus.

Adjective

fecund m or n (feminine singular fecund?, masculine plural fecunzi, feminine and neuter plural fecunde)

1. fruitful

Declension

Related terms

• fecunda
• fecunditate

English

Alternative forms

• plentyful, plentifull (archaic)

Etymology

From Middle English plentiful, plentyfull, plentefull, equivalent to plenty +? -ful.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?pl?nt?fl?/

Adjective

plentiful (comparative plentifuller or plentifuler or more plentiful, superlative plentifullest or plentifulest or most plentiful)

1. Existing in large number or ample amount.

   a plentiful harvest

   a plentiful supply of water

   She accumulated a plentiful collection of books.

2. Yielding abundance; fruitful.

   Some years, the tree is a plentiful source of apples.
3. (obsolete) lavish; profuse; prodigal
   • 1625, Francis Bacon, Of Expense

     He that is plentiful in expenses will hardly be preserved from decay.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:plentiful

Derived terms

• plentifully
• plentifulness

Related terms

• plenteous
• plenty

Translations

Further reading

• plentiful in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• plentiful in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• plentiful at OneLook Dictionary Search