Meanings
comparative more plenary · superlative most plenary
- lawComplete; full; entire; absolute.
The method of treating a subject should be plenary or full.
1725, Isaac Watts, Logick: Or, The Right Use of Reason in the Enquiry after Truth, […], 2nd edition, London: […] John Clark and Richard Hett, […], Emanuel Matthews, […], and Richard Ford, […], published 1726, →OCLC
plural plenaries
- A plenary session.
After lunch, we will all be in the main auditorium listening to the plenary.
- educationPart of a lesson, usually at or towards the end, designed to review or evaluate the learning that has taken place.
Alternatively, the plenary may be used as preparation for the next lesson, and it might support the children to discuss some vocabulary with the TA to help them prepare.
2004, Brian Sharp, Meeting SEN in the Curriculum: Maths, →ISBN, page 1142 more examples
A good plenary doesn't just consolidate learning in that one lesson; it provides feedback for the teacher across a period of time and offers the chance to resolve any misconceptions.
2010, Caroline Bentley-Davies, How to be an amazing teacher, →ISBNDuring the plenary the teacher wanted to consolidate this by getting pupils to use and apply what they had learned and also to discuss the calculating strategies they would use in different situations.
2013, Richard English, Maths and ICT in the Primary School: A Creative Approach, →ISBN, page 30
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivefull in all respects
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinplēnus“full”
- Late Latinplēnārius
- Middle Englishplenarie
- Englishplenary
From Middle English plenarie, plenarye, from Late Latin plēnārius, from Latin plēnus (“full”).
More words from Middle English, Late Latin, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Basque osoko
- osokofully attended
Bulgarian плена́рен
- плена́рен (plenáren)fully attended
Catalan plenari
- plenarifully attended
Chinese Mandarin 全體出席的 /全体出席的
- 全體出席的 /全体出席的 (quántǐ chūxí de)fully attended
Czech valný, plenární
- valnýfully attended
- plenárnífully attended
Dutch plenair
- plenairfully attended
Finnish täys-
- täys-fully attended
French plénier
- plénierfully attended
German Plenar-, Voll-
- Plenar-fully attended
- Voll-fully attended
Greek ολομελής
- ολομελής (olomelís)fully attended
Indonesian lengkap, paripurna
- lengkapfully attended
- paripurnafully attended
- plenofully attended
Italian plenario
- plenariofully attended
Persian عمومی
- عمومی ('omumi)fully attended
Polish plenarny, walny
- plenarnyfully attended
- walnyfully attended
Portuguese plenário
- plenáriofully attended
Romanian plenar
- plenarfully attended
Russian плена́рный
- плена́рный (plenárnyj)fully attended
Spanish plenario
- plenariofully attended
Ukrainian плена́рний
- плена́рний (plenárnyj)fully attended
Vietnamese toàn thể
- toàn thểfully attended
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with plenary
All rhymes →Cite this entry
plenary. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/plenary
“plenary.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/plenary. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “plenary,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/plenary.
Source: plenary on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.