abound

English

Etymology

• First attested around 1325.
• From Middle English abounden, abounde, from Old French abonder, abunder, from Latin abundāre, present active infinitive of abundō (“overflow”), which comes from ab (“from, down from”) + undō (“surge, swell, rise in waves, move in waves”), from unda (“wave”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /əˈbaʊnd/
• (US) IPA^(key): /əˈbaʊnd/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aʊnd

Verb

abound (third-person singular simple present abounds, present participle abounding, simple past and past participle abounded)

1. (intransitive) To be full to overflowing. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470).]
2. (intransitive, obsolete) To be wealthy. [Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the mid 18^th century.]
3. (intransitive) To be highly productive.
4. (intransitive) To be present or available in large numbers or quantities; to be plentiful. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470).]

   Wild animals abound wherever man does not stake his claim.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Romans 5:20:

     Moreouer, the Lawe entred, that the offence might abound: but where sinne abounded, grace did much more abound.

   • 1960 December, “New G.E. Line diesel loco maintenance depot at Stratford”, in Trains Illustrated, page 766:

     One end of the east-west building is wet, the other windy, and at present there is smoke abounding, too; but these distressing yard elements can be completely excluded at each end by full-width folding doors [...].

5. (intransitive) To revel in. [Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the late 18^th century.]
7. To be copiously supplied. [with in or with ‘something’]

   The wilderness abounds in traps.

   This pond abounds with fish.

   • 1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “A Further Account of Glubbdubdrib. […]”, in Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume II, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part III (A Voyage to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Glubbdubdribb, Luggnagg, and Japan), page 108:

     I could plainly diſcover from whence one Family derives a long Chin; why a ſecond hath abounded with Knaves for two Generations, and Fools for two more; why a third happened to be crack-brained, and a fourth to be Sharpers.

   • 1858-1860, George Rawlinson, The Five Great Monarchies of the Ancient Eastern World

     the wild boar, which abounds both in Azerbijan and in the country about Hamadan

Usage notes

• This is generally a stative verb that rarely takes the continuous inflection. See Category:English stative verbs

Derived terms

• abounder
• aboundingly
• overabound
• superabound

 

Related terms

• abundance
• abundant

 

Translations

to be full to overflowing

• Dutch: zeer productief zijn, overvloedig voortbrengen
• Gothic: 𐌲𐌰𐌰𐌿𐌺𐌰𐌽 (gaaukan)
• Greek:

  Ancient: βρύω (brúō)

• Serbo-Croatian: obilovati (sh)

to be highly productive

• Dutch: abortuskoorts m

to be plentiful

• Arabic: كَثُر (ar) (kaṯur), تَوَفَر (ar) (tawafar)

  Egyptian Arabic: كتر (keter), اتوفر (etwafar)

• Bulgarian: изобилствам (izobilstvam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 盛產／盛产 (zh) (shèngchǎn), 富有 (zh) (fùyǒu), 富於／富于 (zh) (fùyú)

• Dutch: overvloedig aanwezig zijn, wemelen (nl) (van), in grote aantallen voorkomen
• Esperanto: abundi (eo), sufiĉegi
• Finnish: olla runsaasti, olla tulvillaan
• French: foisonner (fr)
• Galician: abondar (gl), sobexar, rebordar, amorrar, abouxar (gl)
• German: im Überfluss vorhanden sein, wimmeln (de) (von)
• Greek:

  Ancient: βρύω (brúō)

• Italian: abbondare (it), essere abbondante
• Japanese: たくさんある (ja) (takusan aru)
• Latin: exubero
• Maori: whakamakuru
• Mapudungun: ünüfn
• Portuguese: abundar (pt), ser abundante
• Quechua: achkachay
• Romanian: abunda (ro)
• Russian: изоби́ловать (ru) impf (izobílovatʹ), кише́ть (ru) impf (kišétʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian: obilovati (sh)
• Spanish: abundar (es), ser abundante
• Swedish: finnas i riklig mängd, finnas i överflöd
• Thai: เต็มไปด้วย (dtem bpai dûay), อุดมไปด้วย (udom bpai dûay)

to be copiously supplied with

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 充滿／充满 (zh) (chōngmǎn)

• Czech: oplývat
• Dutch: wemelen van, krioelen van
• Finnish: olla runsaasti, olla tulvillaan, olla täynnä (+ partitive), olla pullollaan (+ partitive)
• French: abonder en, fourmiller de
• Galician: abondar (gl), sobexar, rebordar, amorrar, abouxar (gl)
• German: wimmeln von, wimmeln an
• Hungarian: bővelkedik (hu)
• Italian: abbondare (it), essere abbondante
• Japanese: たくさん (ja) (takusan)
• Portuguese: abundar (pt), ser abundante
• Spanish: abundar (es), ser abundante

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Ido: ^{(please verify)} abundar (io)
• Vietnamese: ^{(please verify)} có rất nhiều, ^{(please verify)} có thừa, ^{(please verify)} nhan nhản (vi), ^{(please verify)} lúc nhúc (vi), ^{(please verify)} đầy dẫy (vi)

See also

• bountiful