plenere

Plenere is a Latin verb meaning to fill. It belongs to the first conjugation and is typically given with the standard principal parts plēnō, plēnāre, plēnāvī, plēnātum. The present infinitive is plēnāre, and the form plēnō is the first-person singular present indicative. The perfect is plēnāvī, and the supine or perfect passive participle is plēnātum. In grammatical descriptions, plenēre is treated as a regular 1st-conjugation verb.

Etymology and related forms: plenere derives from the adjective plēnus, meaning full. This root yields a family of Latin words and many English derivatives through later Latin and medieval Latin, such as plenus, plenitūdō (plenitude), and plurals used in compounds like plenipotēns (from plenus + potens) and plenārī in certain passive constructions. English words such as plenary, plenitude, plenum, and plenipotentiary trace their lineage to the same root.

Meaning and usage: in classical Latin, plenere primarily expresses the act of filling something, either literally (to fill a container) or figuratively (to fill a role, a time, or a need). A typical literal sentence might be vas plēnō aquā, “I fill the vase with water,” with the direct object in the accusative and the material or instrument expressed in the ablative. Beyond physical filling, plenere can convey fulfillment or completion of a requirement or space in a broader sense.

See also: Latin grammar, plenus, plenitūdō, plenipotentiary, plenary, plenum.