ample

ample
ample
Fowler (1926) wrote that ample was ‘legitimate only with nouns denoting immaterial or abstract things’ such as opportunity, praise, provision, and time. He did not accept that it could be properly used in attributive position before nouns like butter, coal, oil, and water that denote substances of indefinite quantity, although it was acceptable to place it predicatively with such words, as in The coal is ample. The logic was uncharacteristically opaque, and the argument untenable. Although ample is still most often used with words such as evidence, opportunity, proof, provision, reason, room, scope, time, warning, etc., there is ample evidence of its use with material substances, and among the words it most frequently modifies are breast, bosom, and cleavage. Other examples:

• It was also to be a station for the motor-car age, situated on ample land with large car-parks —J. Richards et al., 1988

• The River Lea forming the eastern boundary of the metropolis provided good communication, ample supplies of water, and motive power for the mills —J. Marriott, 1991

• A leaf has ample stores of chlorophyll —chemistry website, AmE 2004 [OEC].


Modern English usage. 2014.

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  • ample — ample …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • ample — [ ɑ̃pl ] adj. • XIIe; lat. amplus 1 ♦ Qui a de l ampleur. ⇒ large. Manteau ample (opposé à cintré, ajusté). ♢ D une amplitude considérable. Des mouvements amples. « Une oscillation ample et vague secouait la foule » (Sartre). Une voix ample. 2 ♦… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • ample — AMPLE. adj. des 2 genres. Qui est étendu en longueur et en largeur audelà de la mesure la plus ordinaire, la plus commune de chaque chose. Ample étendue. Ce lieu, cet espace n est pas assez ample. Une robe bien ample. Un manteax fort ample. Ce… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie Française 1798

  • ample — AMPLE. adj. de tout genre. Qui est estendu en longueur, & en largeur au dela de la mesure la plus ordinaire, la plus commune. Ample estenduë. ce lieu, cet espace n est pas assez ample. la marge de ce livre est fort ample. Il se dit principalement …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • Ample — Am ple, a. [F. ample, L. amplus, prob. for ambiplus full on both sides, the last syllable akin to L. plenus full. See {Full}, and cf. {Double}.] Large; great in size, extent, capacity, or bulk; spacious; roomy; widely extended. [1913 Webster] All …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Ample — Caractéristiques Longueur 15,7 km Bassin  ? Bassin collecteur Tech …   Wikipédia en Français

  • AMPLE — is the name of two different programming languages.AMPLE the Music LanguageAMPLE (Advanced Music Production Language and Environment) was a FORTH like programming language for programming the 500/5000 series of add on music synthesisers for the… …   Wikipedia

  • ample — Ample, Amplus. Lettre du Roy bien ample, Diploma vberrimum, B. ex Cic. Un edict ample, Edictum vberrimum …   Thresor de la langue françoyse

  • ample — (adj.) mid 15c., from M.Fr. ample, from L. amplus large, spacious, related to ampla handle, grip …   Etymology dictionary

  • ample — I adjective abounding, abundant, adequate, bountiful, broad enough, capacious, commodious, comprehensive, copious, expansive, extensive, generous, large enough, liberal, many, plenteous, satisfactory, sufficient II index adequate, broad,… …   Law dictionary

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