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.
Caitlin Palumbo, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
The harrowing true story of the lions, which raided tents in the camp at night and dragged victims into the thicket, has inspired movies and books over the years — and copious research to understand what drove them to prey on humans.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 11 Oct. 2024
Some supermassive black holes do come with copious X-rays.
—Rebecca Boyle, Quanta Magazine, 9 Oct. 2024
Folie à Deux is both overlong and empty, padded out with copious shots of characters walking down hallways or staring out of car windows.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 4 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 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
copious
adjective
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