MYRIAD


Meaning of MYRIAD in English

I. ˈmir-ē-əd noun

Etymology: Greek myriad-, myrias, from myrioi countless, ten thousand

Date: 1555

1. : ten thousand

2. : a great number

a myriad of ideas

Usage:

Recent criticism of the use of myriad as a noun, both in the plural form myriads and in the phrase a myriad of , seems to reflect a mistaken belief that the word was originally and is still properly only an adjective. As the entries here show, however, the noun is in fact the older form, dating to the 16th century. The noun myriad has appeared in the works of such writers as Milton (plural myriads ) and Thoreau ( a myriad of ), and it continues to occur frequently in reputable English. There is no reason to avoid it.

II. adjective

Date: 1765

1. : innumerable

those myriad problems

also : both numerous and diverse

myriad topics

2. : having innumerable aspects or elements

the myriad activity of the new land — Meridel Le Sueur

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.