Gilbert Highet
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Despite meaning “abundance,” the Latin word copia has not led to an abundance of words in English; in other words, its descendants are far from copious—at least on the surface. There’s copious, of course, which comes from copia by way of Middle English and has been used since the 14th century, when it first described things—such as farmlands or ore deposits—that produce abundant yields. Then there’s cornucopia, which combines this same root with cornu, meaning “horn,” and refers to an inexhaustible store or abundance of something (as well as to a decorative horn or horn-shaped basket overflowing with produce and used as a symbol of abundance). Finally, there’s the commonplace word copy, used as both noun and verb. That’s all she wrote… unless you consider the mucho copious amount—nay, cornucopia—of words that start or end with copy, from copycat to photocopy to copypasta.
Examples of copious in a Sentence
Michael Kinsley, Time, 25 Dec. 2000–1 Jan. 2001
These pockets of melted rock are rich in silica and release copious amounts of volatile gases that are held under high pressures.
—Sandra Blakeslee, New York Times, 7 Apr. 1998
… travelers grew accustomed to having copious helpings of meat when they visited Quimper's inn.
—James A. Michener, Texas, 1985
The Constants—ignorant, vulgar, and brash—had copious quantities of dumb luck.
—Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., The Sirens Of Titan, 1959
The storm produced a copious amount of rain.
She sat in the front row and took copious notes during the lecture.
Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 21 Nov. 2024
The boldness starts up front with the vehicle’s shark-like front fascia and carries over to an ultra-aggressive aero package that includes a hood scoop, a copious amount of giant air intakes, and rear wings that come right off the rear fenders.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 19 Nov. 2024
The big picture: To the south of the bomb cyclone's center, an atmospheric river is carrying copious amounts of moisture from the subtropics into Northern California and parts of Oregon.
—Andrew Freedman, Axios, 18 Nov. 2024
After copious testing, our team of testers has assembled a list of favorite men’s base layers for every winter condition and activity, from casual resort laps to frigid weeklong epics.
—Nathan Pipenberg, Outside Online, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for copious 
Dictionary Entries Near copious
Cite this Entry
“Copious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/copious. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
copious
adjective
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