English
plenum
Plenum comes from Latin plēnum ‘space filled with matter’, from plēnus ‘full’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁- ‘to fill’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pleh₁-‘to fill’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*pl̥h₁nós‘full’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*plēnos‘full’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEplēnus‘full’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEplēnum‘space filled with matter’
- Englishearliest quotation 1946plenum
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pleh₁-‘to fill’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*pl̥h₁nós‘full’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*plēnos‘full’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEplēnus‘full’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEplēnum‘space filled with matter’
- Englishearliest quotation 1946plenum
Earliest quotation: 1946, Bertrand Russell: “The idea was that a thing could only move…”
The story
The sense of "legislative meeting" is a semantic loan from Russian пле́нум (plénum, “plenary session”), from the same Latin source.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁- ‘to fill’
people, public, popular, complete, plus, supply, poll, folk, accomplish, completion, manipulation, comply, implement, supplement, plural, complement, plethora, puri, depletion, volk, replete, deplete, plebs, plebeian, 75 more
through Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₁nós ‘full’
through Latin plēnus ‘full’
plain, plenty, ample, amplitude, amplify, replenish, plenary, 15 more
Today it means
noun A space that is completely filled with matter.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁- / plenum