Forms: 4–6 abundaunce, habundaunce, -ance; 5–6 boundance, haboundaunce, -ance; 4–7 aboundaunce, -ance; 4– abundance. [a. OFr. abundance, abondance, hab-:—L. abundantia, n. of state f. abundant-em, ABUNDANT. The spelling habundance frequent in Fr. and Eng. from the 14th c. was due to the word being mistakenly supposed to be a derivative of habēre to have. An aphetic boundance, 5–6, was due to initial a being taken as the indef. art. quasi a boundance.]
1. Overflowing state or condition, overflow; superfluity; enough and more than enough: hence in a looser sense, plentifulness, copiousness.
1366. Maundev., (1839), xiv. 152. There ben hilles where men geten gret plentee of manna, in gretter habundance than in any other contree.
1382. Wyclif, Mal. iii. 10. Ȝif y shal not opne to ȝou the gutters of heuen, and schal sheede out to ȝou blessyng vnto aboundaunce.
1446. Henry, Wallace, IV. 347. A land of gret boundance.
1535. Fisher, Wks. (1876), 382. You shall be partener to the more plentuous aboundance of his loue.
1611. Bible, Ps. cv. 30. The land brought foorth frogs in abundance.
1796. Bp. Watson, Apol. for Bible, 190. There were false prophets in abundance amongst the Jews.
1823. De Quincey, Lett. on Educ. (1860), i. 10. My thoughts on that matter are from the abundance of my heart.
2. An overflowing quantity or amount; a large quantity, plenty.
1340. Ayenb., 261. Abundance and plenté of alle guode.
1483. Caxton, G. de la Tour (1868), 135. They shalle yeue accompte of thaire habundance of the worldely goodes that they haue had.
1595. Shaks., John, II. i. 148. What cracker is this same that deafes our eares With this abundance of superfluous breath?
1722. De Foe, Moll. FL. (1840), 346. I ordered abundance of good things for our comfort in the voyage.
1824. Dibdin, Lib. Comp., 112. Abundance of valuable information.
b. Less correctly: A large number, very many.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, X. 110. Quhar men mycht se So gret aboundance cum off fe, That it war voundir till behald.
1687. T. Brown, Saints in an Uproar, Wks. 1730, I. 82. Abundance of worthless and fabulous scoundrels.
1751. Fielding, Amelia, Wks. 1784, IX. XI. ii. 254. There are abundance … who want a morsel of bread for themselves and their families.
3. Plentifulness, or plentiful supply, of the good things of life; superfluity, affluence, wealth.
1382. Wyclif, Luke xii. 15 (Lea Wilson’s MS.). Be war fro al coueytise, for not in þe aboundaunce of any man is his liif.
1535. Coverdale, 1 Chron. xxx. 16. O Lorde oure God, all this abundaunce … came of thy hande.
1611. Bible, Eccl. v. 12. But the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleepe.
1653. Holcroft, Procopius, I. 17. Victory brings all to that side it enclines to. In your swords therefore consists your safety, and aboundance.
1857. Bohn’s Handbk. of Prov., 305. Abundance, like want, ruins many.
† 4. a. Added to nouns: In abundance, in large quantity, or number. (Probably after the analogy of wine enough, ships enow.) Obs. b. Adverbially before adj.: Very much, a great deal. Obs.
1675. Hobbes, Iliad, 106. For ships abundance laden were come in. Ibid., 164. While spears abundance at him hurled were. Ibid., Odyssey, 103. Sheep & goats there lay Abundance sleeping. Ibid., 167. And wine abundance drink.
1710. Swift, Baucis & Phil., Wks. 1755, III. II. 35. The ballads pasted on the wall … Now seem’d to look abundance better, Improv’d in picture, size, and letter.
