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.
Nick Pinkerton, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
The burger is two giant patties of the restaurant’s proprietary Angus chuck, separated by a bun half and copious amounts of dripping American cheese.
—Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 22 Oct. 2025
It was celebrated as much for D’Angelo’s ever-inventive musicality and arrangements — copious guitars, and vocal tracks stacked to the heavens — as well as his politically trenchant lyrics.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
But the researchers said stumbling upon the copious number of artifacts entangled in the historical nests took them by surprise.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for copious
Cite this Entry
“Copious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/copious. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
copious
adjective
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