panoply

noun

pan·o·ply ˈpa-nə-plē

plural panoplies

Synonyms of panoply

: a full suit of armor

Knights in panoply were ready for battle.

: ceremonial attire

The nobles were in panoply for the coronation.

: something forming a protective covering

faces dim in a panoply of smoke—William Baucke

: a magnificent or impressive array

the full panoply of a military funeral

woods … in their full panoply of autumn foliage—S. P. B. Mais

: a display of all appropriate appurtenances

no need for the panoply of power

windows … beyond which the usual panoply of modern mechanical conveniences can brazenly flourish—Lewis Mumford

Did you know?

Despite having Greek origins and similar sounds, panoply is not related—etymologically or semantically—to monopoly; its history has more to do with Mediterranean warfare than Mediterranean Avenue. Panoply comes from the Greek word panoplia, which referred to the full suit of armor worn by hoplites, heavily armed infantry soldiers of ancient Greece. Panoplia is a blend of the prefix pan-, meaning “all,” and hopla, meaning “arms” or “armor.” (As you may have guessed, hopla is also an ancestor of hoplite.) Panoply entered English in the early 17th century with its Greek use intact: it referred to a full set of armor—an impressive array, you might say, of protective bits and bobs, from breastplates to brassards. Over time, panoply developed its figurative sense referring to an impressive, extensive collection or array of things, as in “She won the game by bankrupting her opponents with a panoply of properties built up with houses and hotels.”

Examples of panoply in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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Our palm panoply extends to the ritzy Canary Island date palm, the pygmy date and windmill palms, and a mini-monarchy of queen and king palms, which look a little haphazardly asymmetrical. —Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2025 That makes the full panoply hard to study simultaneously because much of it takes place above or below the microscope’s narrow focal plane. —The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024 But convincing the United States to sign and ratify this panoply of international instruments might be plausible. —Jorge G. CastaÑeda, Foreign Affairs, 4 Feb. 2025 Servers circulated through the crowd, offering a panoply of indulgent small bites, such as oysters coronated with pomegranate granita, dainty lamb meat pies, and tiny pita plump with sunchoke puree. —Nevin Martell, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for panoply