Abound

How to spell abound

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce abound

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does abound mean?

1. verbTo exist in large numbers or great quantity.

Abound in a sentence

• Opportunities abound for skilled workers in the new district.

• Wildlife and rare plants abound in the protected wetland.

Where does abound come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb abundare, which meant 'to overflow' or 'to flow over in great quantity'. It was built from the prefix ab-, meaning 'off' or 'away', combined with undare, 'to surge or rise in waves', which itself comes from unda, the Latin word for 'a wave'. The mental image is therefore of water rising and spilling over the edge, an apt picture for something existing in great plenty. English took the word in during the 1300s by way of Old French abonder, and over time the watery sense faded into the general meaning of being present in large numbers. The same unda root still flows through the related word 'abundant' and through 'undulate', which describes a wave-like motion.

How the word is built

• ab- (off, from)
• -ound (from Latin undare, to overflow, from unda, a wave)