nombreux

Nombreux is a French adjective meaning “numerous” or “many.” It describes a large number of people or things and agrees with the noun it modifies. The forms are masculine singular: nombre ux; feminine singular: nombreuse; masculine plural: nombreux; feminine plural: nombreuses. A common construction is de nombreux followed by a masculine plural noun, meaning “many …” For feminine nouns, the form is de nombreuses.

Etymology and formation: The word derives from the French nombre, meaning “number,” which itself comes from Latin numerus. The suffix -eux is typical in French for adjectives and conveys a sense of “full of” or “characterized by.” Thus nombre ux originally signified something that is characterized by numbers or a large quantity.

Usage notes: Nombreux occurs frequently in formal and descriptive language. Examples include: de nombreux témoins (many witnesses), de nombreux défis (many challenges), une population nombreuse (a large population), une ville nombreuse (a large city). It can describe people, objects, events, or phenomena when a sizable quantity is implied. For feminine nouns, the matching form is nombreuse or nombreuses in plural constructions, and it is common to see de nombreuses preuves (many pieces of evidence). The expression un grand nombre de is another common way to express a large quantity without changing the gender of the noun that follows.

See also: nombre, foule, population, abondant, considérable.