plethora

The word 'plethora' entered English in the mid-16th century via Late Latin from the Greek plēthōrē, meaning 'fullness, superabundance'. The Greek term itself is a combination of plēthō ('to be full') and the suffix -ōrē, related to horā, which implies a condition or state of being. Originally a medical term in English describing an excess of blood or humors in the body, its literal meaning of 'over-fullness' provided a clear logical path to its modern, more abstract sense denoting an excessive or overabundant quantity of anything.

Structure: plet (full) + hora (flow, abundance) - plet: From Greek plēthō, meaning 'to be full'. It functions as the core root conveying the sense of fullness. - hora: From Greek horā, meaning 'season, time, abundance'. In this compound, it functions to extend the sense of fullness into a flowing abundance or quantity.