Etymology

myriad

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Today it means: Ten thousand; 10,000 Full definition →

First used 16th c.French myriade ← Late Latin mȳria ← Ancient Greek μῡρῐᾰ́ς (mūrĭắs)
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The story

  1. Ancient Greekμῡρῐ́ος (mūrĭ́os)
  2. Ancient Greekμῡρῐᾰ́ς (mūrĭắs)
  3. Late Latinmȳria
  4. Frenchmyriade
  5. English todaymyriad

From French myriade, from Late Latin mȳriadem (accusative of mȳrias), from Ancient Greek μυριάς (muriás, “number of 10,000”), from μυρίος (muríos, “numberless, countless, infinite”). By surface analysis, myria- + -ad.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 16th c. Ten thousand; 10,000
  • from 16th c. Synonym of decamillennium: a period of 10000 years.
  • from 16th c. A countless number or multitude (of specified things)
  • from 18th c. Multifaceted, having innumerable elements.
  • from 18th c. Great in number; innumerable, multitudinous.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.