Numerous
/ˈnuː.mə.rəs/noun
Existing in great number; many.
Did you know?“Numerous” ultimately traces back to Latin *numerus*, a word tied to counting and arrangement, which also fed into surprising relatives like *number* and *enumerate*.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*nem-
“to distribute, assign; take, allot”
Latin
Latin
numerus
“a number; a body of people; rank or order”
Late Latin
Latin
numerōsus
“full of numbers; numerous, abundant”
Middle French
Old French
nombreux
“numerous, many”
16th Century
English
numerous
“many in number”
Modern English
English
numerous
“existing in great number”
Explore more surprising origins