cornucopia

noun

cor·nu·co·pia ˌkȯr-nə-ˈkō-pē-ə

-nyə-ˈkō-

: a curved, hollow goat's horn or similarly shaped receptacle (such as a horn-shaped basket) that is overflowing especially with fruit and vegetables (such as gourds, ears of corn, apples, and grapes) and that is used as a decorative motif emblematic of abundance

called also horn of plenty

: an inexhaustible store : abundance

We marveled at the cornucopia of fruits, meats, toys, fresh fish, baskets, utensils and leather goods for sale in stalls that lined the streets for as far as we could see.—

Guy Garcia

For contemporary performers, soul represents a cornucopia of musical ideas.—

Jon Pareles

: a receptacle shaped like a horn or cone

cornucopian

ˌkȯr-nə-ˈkō-pē-ən

-nyə-ˈkō-

adjective

Did you know?

Cornucopia Has Latin Origins and Greek History

Cornucopia comes from the Late 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, which could be filled with whatever the owner wished, that the god Zeus was fed as an infant by his nurse, the nymph Amalthaea. 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.”

Examples of cornucopia in a Sentence

The market is a cornucopia of fruits and vegetables. The book includes a cornucopia of wonderful stories.

Recent Examples on the Web

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Andy makes a creation inspired by a trip to New York, but his cornucopia falls apart in the oven. —

Brian Moylan, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2024 Greene’s design of the unit is a cornucopia of color and texture. —

Rachel Davies, Architectural Digest, 27 Sep. 2024 Instead, her shows are a cornucopia of latex, satin, and swirling purple eyeshadow, traits that spring naturally from Rothschild’s stint as a junior designer at Mugler, in Paris. —

Colleen Hamilton, Them, 11 Sep. 2024 Summer's on its way out, and so are a cornucopia of beloved TV shows and movies from the Netflix streaming library. —

Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 3 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for cornucopia