Plural

Definition

Plural refers to the form of a word used to denote more than one person, place, thing, or idea; as an adjective, it describes something consisting of or relating to more than one. Its opposite is singular.

Parts of Speech

• Noun
• Adjective

Pronunciation

American English

• IPA: /ˈplʊərəl/
• Respelling: PLOO-ruh l

British English

• IPA: /ˈplʊə.rəl/
• Respelling: PLUHR-uhl

Etymology

Late Middle English: from Old French plural, from Latin plūrālis ‘more, several,’ from plūs ‘more.’

Derivatives

• pluralize (verb)
• pluralization (noun)
• plurally (adverb)

Synonyms

• multiple (adj.)
• many (adj.)
• collective (adj.)

Antonyms

• singular
• unitary
• individual

Usage

"The plural of “mouse” is “mice”."

"In English, most nouns form the plural by adding –s or –es."

Related Terms

• Singular: The form denoting one.
• Dual: A grammatical number for two.
• Count noun: A noun that can take a plural form.
• Mass noun: A noun that is generally uncountable.
• Morphology: The study of word forms and structure.

Detailed Definitions

Noun

• The form of a word indicating more than one – the variant used when referring to multiple items.
  • Example: "‘Children’ is the plural of ‘child.’"

Adjective

• Of or relating to more than one – describing something composed of multiple elements.
  • Example: "They celebrated their plural achievements together."
• Grammar: denoting the category of number indicating more than one – the grammatical number category opposite singular.
  • Example: "Many languages mark plural with suffixes."