To exist in very large numbers or amounts.
From Old French *abonder*, from Latin *abundare* meaning “to overflow,” from *ab-* “away” and *unda* “wave.” It originally described water overflowing like waves.
When you say ‘mistakes abound’ or ‘flowers abound,’ you’re really saying they’re overflowing like waves. The water image is still hiding in the word, showing how language borrows from nature to describe quantity.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.