Word of the Day

: March 26, 2007

panoply

noun PAN-uh-plee

What It Means

1 : a full suit of armor

2 : something forming a protective covering

3 : a magnificent or impressive array

panoply in Context

Jeff's house was furnished with a panoply of up-to-date home entertainment devices.

Did You Know?

"Panoply" comes from the Greek word "panoplia," which referred to the full suit of armor worn by "hoplites," heavily armed infantry soldiers of ancient Greece. "Panoplia" is a blend of the prefix "pan-," meaning "all," and "hopla," meaning "arms" or "armor." (As you may have guessed already, "hopla" is also an ancestor of "hoplite.") "Panoply" entered the English language in the 17th century, and since then it has developed other senses which extend both the "armor" and the "full set" aspects of its original use.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.