plural
Meaning
(of a word or form) denoting more than one, or in some languages more than two
a plural word or form
Structure
Usage
The word "children" is the plural form of "child."
Some nouns, like "sheep," have the same form in both singular and plural.
The data are conclusive, using a plural verb to agree with the plural sense of the noun.
Etymology
The word "plural" entered English in the late 14th century from the Old French plurel, which itself descended from the Latin pluralis, meaning "pertaining to more than one." The Latin root is plus (genitive pluris), meaning "more," which can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European root \pele- (to fill), a concept that underlies the idea of abundance or multiplicity. The suffix -alis was a common Latin adjectival ending. Thus, the literal construction "relating to more" evolved logically into the grammatical term specifying the form of a word that designates more than one entity, contrasting with the singular.
Analysis
- plur: From Latin plur-, plus (more). It functions as the core root conveying the meaning of "more." - al: From Latin -alis (suffix forming adjectives). It functions as a suffix that converts the root into an adjective meaning "relating to or characterized by."