plu·ral (pl r  l)adj. 1. Relating to or composed of more than one member, set, or kind: the plural meanings of a text; a plural society. 2. Grammar Of or being a grammatical form that designates more than one of the things specified. n. Grammar 1. The plural number or form. 2. A word or term in the plural form. [Middle English plurel, from Old French, from Latin pl  r lis, from pls, plr-, more; see pel-1 in Indo-European roots.]plu ral·ly adv.Our Living Language In English, plurals of nouns are normally indicated by the ending -s or -es, or in a few cases by -en, as in children and oxen. Some vernacular varieties of English do not use plural endings in measurement phrases such as three mile and ten pound. This zero plural has a long history and was not formerly as socially stigmatized as it is today. It appears in literary works dating from the Middle English period to the present day, including works of dialect writers, such as this example from Mark Twain's Huck Finn: "The nearest white settlement warnt nearer nor four mile." · In adjectival constructions even Standard English has no -s plural: a five-pound box of candy is acceptable, whereas a five-pounds box is not. These adjective phrases derive from an -a suffix in Old English that marked plural adjectives. This ending has long since fallen away, leaving behind the unmarked root forms. · The absence of -s in the plural form of animal names (hunting for bear, a herd of buffalo) probably arose by analogy with animals like deer and sheep whose plurals have been unmarked since the earliest beginnings of the English language. A few dialects of English have unmarked plurals that may extend beyond the class of measure nouns. For example, some speakers of African American Vernacular English occasionally use such constructions as I have three sister. See Notes at comparative, foot, redundancy. |
plural
Adjective
1. of or consisting of more than one
2. Grammar denoting a word indicating more than one
Noun
Grammar
a. the plural number
b. a plural form [Latin plus more]
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. | plural - the form of a word that is used to denote more than one relation - (usually plural) mutual dealings or connections among persons or groups; "international relations" flying colors, flying colours - complete success; "they passed inspection with flying colors" wings - a means of flight or ascent; "necessity lends wings to inspiration" ambages - (archaic) roundabout or mysterious ways of action innings - the batting turn of a cricket player or team sweepstakes - a lottery in which the prize consists of the money paid by the participants craps - a gambling game played with two dice; a first throw of 7 or 11 wins and a first throw of 2, 3, or 12 loses and a first throw of any other number must be repeated to win before a 7 is thrown, which loses the bet and the dice Ludi Saeculares, secular games - the centennial rites and games of ancient Rome that marked the commencement of a new generation (100 years representing the longest life in a generation); observances may have begun as early as the 5th century BC and lasted well into the Christian era heroics - ostentatious or vainglorious or extravagant or melodramatic conduct; "heroics are for those epic films they make in Hollywood" deeds, works - performance of moral or religious acts; "salvation by deeds"; "the reward for good works" services - performance of duties or provision of space and equipment helpful to others; "the mayor tried to maintain city services"; "the medical services are excellent" calisthenics, callisthenics - light exercises designed to promote general fitness; "several different calisthenics were illustrated in the video" hustings - the activities involved in political campaigning (especially speech making) arts and crafts - the arts of decorative design and handicraft; "they sponsored arts and crafts in order to encourage craftsmanship in an age of mass production" contretemps - an awkward clash; "he tried to smooth over his contretemps with the policeman" last rites - rites performed in connection with a death or burial devotion - (usually plural) religious observance or prayers (usually spoken silently); "he returned to his devotions" Stations, Stations of the Cross - (Roman Catholic Church) a devotion consisting of fourteen prayers said before a series of fourteen pictures or carvings representing successive incidents during Jesus' passage from Pilate's house to his crucifixion at Calvary round - (often plural) a series of professional calls (usually in a set order); "the doctor goes on his rounds first thing every morning"; "the postman's rounds"; "we enjoyed our round of the local bars" alms - money or goods contributed to the poor operations, trading operations - financial transactions at a brokerage; having to do with the execution of trades and keeping customer records swaddling clothes - restrictions placed on the immature dirty tricks - underhand commercial or political behavior designed to discredit an opponent last respects - the act of expressing respect for someone who has died; "he paid his last respects by standing quietly at the graveside" props - proper respect; "I have to give my props to the governor for the way he handled the problem" appointment, fitting - (usually plural) furnishings and equipment (especially for a ship or hotel) Augean stables - (Greek mythology) the extremely dirty stables that were finally cleaned by Hercules who diverted two rivers through them backstairs - a second staircase at the rear of a building bath salts - a preparation that softens or scents a bath bedspring - (usually plural) one of the springs holding up the mattress of a bed bell-bottoms, bellbottom pants, bellbottom trousers - trousers with legs that flare; worn by sailors; absurdly wide hems were fashionable in the 1960s bellows - a mechanical device that blows a strong current of air; used to make a fire burn more fiercely or to sound a musical instrument Bermuda shorts, Jamaica shorts - short pants that end at the knee bikini pants - small and tight-fitting underpants; worn by women binoculars, field glasses, opera glasses - an optical instrument designed for simultaneous use by both eyes singular, singular form - the form of a word that is used to denote a singleton |
| Adj. | 1. | plural - composed of more than one member, set, or kind singular - composed of one member, set, or kind |
| 2. | plural - grammatical number category referring to two or more items or units singular - grammatical number category referring to a single item or unit |
Translations
n / adj plural [ˈpluərəl]
(in) the form of a word which expresses more than one Mice' is the plural of `mouse'; a plural noun/verb; Is the verb in the singular or the plural? meervoud صيغَة الجَمْع множествен množné číslo; množný flertal; flertalsform der Plural; Plural-... πληθυντικός (γραμμ.) plural mitmus جمع monikko pluriel רַבִּים बहुवचन množina többes (szám) jamak fleirtala plurale 複数(の) 복수(의) daugiskaita daudzskaitlis jamak meervoud flertall(sform), pluralis; flertalls- liczba mnoga, w liczbie mnogiej plural plural множественное число množné číslo množina množina plural รูปพหูพจน์ çoğul 復數形式［的］ множина جمع số nhiều 复数形式［的］
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