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myr·i·ad

(mĭrē-əd)

adj.

1. Constituting a very large, indefinite number; innumerable: the myriad fish in the ocean.

2. Composed of numerous diverse elements or facets: the myriad life of the metropolis.

1. A large, indefinite number: a myriad of microorganisms in the pond; myriads of stars in the galaxy.

2. Archaic Ten thousand.

[Greek mūrias, mūriad-, ten thousand, from mūrios, countless.]

Usage Note: Throughout most of its history in English myriad was used as a noun, as in a myriad of reasons. In the 1800s, it began to be used in poetry as an adjective, as in myriad dreams. Both usages in English are acceptable, as in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Myriad myriads of lives." This poetic, adjectival use became so well entrenched generally that many people came to consider it as the only correct use. In fact, however, both uses are acceptable today.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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