nombreuses

Nombreuses is the feminine plural form of the French adjective nombreux, meaning "numerous" or "a large number of." It agrees with feminine plural nouns and is used to describe quantities or groups considered ample. For example: « de nombreuses personnes », « de nombreuses questions ». The masculine equivalents are nombreux and nombreuse (feminine singular), while nombreuse corresponds to feminine singular.

Etymology and sense: the word derives from Old French nombreus, itself from Latin numerosus, from numerus meaning "number." In contemporary French, nombreux and its feminine forms maintain the sense of abundance or plurality, ranging from concrete counts to abstract sets.

Usage notes: nombreuses is a standard, neutral descriptor in formal and everyday language. It tends to convey a stronger sense of quantity than phrases like beaucoup de, while being less abstract than expressions such as un grand nombre de. The most common collocation is de nombreuses followed by a feminine plural noun, as in de nombreuses occasions, de nombreuses idées. When the noun is masculine or mixed gender, different forms or phrasing are used (e.g., de nombreux objets, de nombreuses personnes).

Related terms: numerous counterparts include nombreux (masculine), nombreuse (feminine singular), and the noun nombre meaning "number." Synonyms or near-synonyms include beaucoup de, une grande quantité, and une multitude, depending on context.

In summary, nombreuses is a versatile, widely used feminine plural adjective for indicating a sizable or abundant quantity, aligned with feminine plural nouns and common in both written and spoken French.