Ample

How to spell ample

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce ample

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does ample mean?

1. adjectiveMore than enough; plentiful or generous in amount, space, or extent.

Ample in a sentence

• The hotel room offered ample space for our luggage and a desk.

• There is ample time to finish the report before the deadline.

Where does ample come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin adjective amplus, which meant 'large', 'spacious', or 'abundant', describing something with generous physical extent. It passed into English through Old French ample during the late 1400s, keeping the sense of roominess and plenty. Over time the meaning settled on the idea of having more than enough of something, whether that is space, time, or supply. The same Latin root also lies behind 'amplify', which originally meant to make something larger or fuller, and behind 'amplitude', the measure of how wide a wave swings. Because the word is short and the spelling matches the way it sounds, it carries no major trap beyond remembering the silent final -e.

How the word is built

• ampl- (from Latin amplus: large, abundant)
• -e