plural meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

plural

adj

/ˈplʊəɹəl/ · /ˈplɔːɹəl/

Etymology From Middle English plurelle, from Old French plurel (“plural”), Borrowed from Latin plūrālis (“of or belonging to more than one, belonging to many”, adjective), from plūs, plūris (“more”) + -ālis.

Consisting of or containing more than one of something.

The notion of culture is one whose meanings are plural and shifting.
Than plural faith which is too much by one: Thou counterfeit to thy true friend!1594, William Shakespeare, Two Gentlemen of Verona:

Grammar, Human sciences, Linguistics, Sciences In systems of number, not singular or not singular or dual.

English nouns usually have singular and plural forms.

Pluralistic.

Although the nation was far more plural than Canada in the number of its Christian groups1987, Mircea Eliade, Charles J. Adams, editors, The Encyclopedia of religion, volume 3:
The Hong Kong and Singapore markets are way more "plural" than most Western economies, but they have not led to pluralistic politics.2006, Suisheng Zhao, Debating political reform in China: rule of law vs. democratization, page 29:

3 more examples

History is perhaps more plural than traditionally imagined, leaving room for more groups to express their story.2007, Lachelle Renee Hannickel, From cultural transgressions to literary transformations: ..., page 195:
Generally the girls tend to perceive their social world as somewhat more plural than boys do. Several of these questions reveal that there are more boys (61%) than girls (39%) who 'do not know' about the religion of others2009, Pille Valk, Teenagers' perspectives on the role of religion in their lives, ..., page 281:
Yet More's conscience was responding to a world just a little more plural than the world he was born in2011, Harald E. Braun with Edward Vallance, The Renaissance Conscience, page 50:

Of a person Having some form of multiplicity, especially dissociative identity disorder.

Synonyms: multiple, plural
Antonyms: singular
Derived terms: 41 terms
additive plural, associative plural, author's plural, broken plural, celestial plural marriage, cohort plural, count plural, double plural, duoplural, first-person plural, intensive plural, majestic plural, nonplural, plural intensive, pluralisation, pluralise, pluralism, pluralist, plurality, pluralization, pluralize, plurally, plurally plural, plural marriage, plural noun, plural of excellence, plural of majesty, plural of modesty, pluralphobia, pluralphobic, plural-plural, plural relations, plural system, plural wife, polyplural, second-person plural, sound plural, summation plural, superplural, the plural of anecdote is not data, third-person plural
Related terms: singular
Hyponyms: dual, triple, quadruple, quintuple, sextuple, multiplex, paucal

plural

noun

Grammar, Human sciences, Linguistics, Sciences The plural number. In English, referring to more or less than one of something.

"There are three numbers; the singular, the dual, and the plural. [...] The dual is sometimes used to denote two objects, but even here the plural is more common."1895, William W. Goodwin, A Greek Grammar. Revised and enlarged., page 34:

Grammar, Human sciences, Linguistics, Sciences A word in the form in which it potentially refers to something other than one person or thing; and other than two things if the language has a dual form.

The plural of 'cat' is 'cats', but the plural of 'child' is 'children'.
Malay is the lingua franca of several Southeast Asia countries and has been simplified by its use as a second language by non-native speakers. For example, the Malay plural is formed by repeating a word twice – buku means book and buku-buku means books.2021 April 25, John Malathronas, “Which languages are easiest – and most difficult – for native English speakers to learn?”, in CNN, archived from the original on 22 Mar 2022:

A person with some form of multiplicity, particularly dissociative identity disorder.

Singlet and monocultural identity is so normalized that many voice hearers and plurals don’t share their experiences with anyone, living in isolation (and sometimes in poverty) and spending considerable inner resources to manage postures and performances of ‘mental health’.2016, Lori F. Clarke, “Embracing Polyphony: Voices, Improvisation, and the Hearing Voices Network”, in Intersectionalities: A Global Journal of Social Work Analysis, Research, Polity, and Practice, volume 5, number 2, page 6:
More strongly, respect might require that singlets themselves accept, in the context of interacting with plurals, that people are truly distinct people.2020, Elizabeth Schechter, “What we can learn about respect and identity from plurals”, in JPCA Mag, number 1, page 38:

1 more example

Autistics, plurals, and gender nonconforming individuals are all stigmatized as not being capable of understanding their own experiences and are repeatedly attacked with narratives intended to make them doubt their own emotions, memories, and sense of self.2020, Tynan Drake, "Intersectional Representation: LGBTQ+ and neurodiverse voices in transmedia fiction", paper submitted to Ball State University, page 14

Derived terms: plurale tantum
Related terms: singular