Word of the Day

: October 29, 2013

cornucopia

noun kor-nuh-KOH-pee-uh

What It Means

1 : a horn-shaped container filled with fruit and grain emblematic of abundance

2 : an inexhaustible store : abundance

cornucopia in Context

The Web site contained a cornucopia of useful information.

"A cornucopia of culture awaits the thousands of participants expected at the inaugural Fall Cultural Arts Showcase Sunday at the King Center for the Performing Arts." - From a review by Maria Sonnenberg in Florida Today, September 20, 2013

Did You Know?

"Cornucopia" comes from the Latin "cornu copiae," which translates literally as "horn of plenty." A traditional staple of feasts, the cornucopia is believed to represent the horn of a goat from Greek mythology. According to legend, it was from this horn that the god Zeus was fed as an infant. Later, the horn was filled with flowers and fruits, and given as a present to Zeus. The filled horn (or a receptacle resembling it) has long served as a traditional symbol in art and decoration to suggest a store of abundance. The word first appeared in English in the early 16th century; a century later, it developed the figurative sense of an overflowing supply.