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"Plentiful" is actually from two roots that mean the same thing - or, if you trace the etymologies back far enough, from the same root twice.

  • "Plenti-" is from Latin plenitas, "fullness", which in turn is from the adjective plenus, "full"
  • "-ful" is from the native English word "full", which in turn is from the proto-Germanic adjective fullaz.

Both plenus and fullaz are derived from the Proto-Indo-European root ple-, "to be full". So etymologically, "plentiful" means "full of fullness".

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15y ago

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