Panoply

noun

  • An extremely large set that contains every relevant element; a comprehensive collection that is remarkable or showy due to its size and completeness

  • (Rare) A presentation of a complete or extensive collection (as of faculties, power, etc.) that is generally meant to impress

  • (Antiquated) A full set of arms


Usage

Why do many of us like to collect things? Perhaps it's the nostalgia, or the thrill of hunting down that rare or unusual variety you're missing. But there's also a kind of deep gratification that comes from assembling a panoply of something. Seeing all 50 state quarters fitted into their little map, or a thousand bobble heads lined up in tight rows, all ready to wobble at the slightest footstep, can fill a person with a sense of personal accomplishment. I did that. I gathered that panoply. And, of course, there's the fun of showing off your set to other people, in a way making it a panoply of your collecting skills.

A panoply is usually an immense, varied collection of objects that all fit under one category or theme. Such a group is characterized by extensiveness, sure to contain a wider range of items (and more of them) than you'd find anywhere else. Most commonly, a panoply is composed of physical objects - think of the multitude of colorful, differently sized plants you'd see in a greenhouse, or the tall shelves stuffed with books that line the walls of a grand library. However, the word can also be used figuratively to refer to things like knowledge and abilities; for example, you might wow a game show audience with your panoply of obscure trivia. Many times, a panoply is understood to be complete as well as just big, an exhaustive set of every variation of something that can be found or imagined.

The thing about such a gigantic, comprehensive collection is that, when brought to bear, it's often quite impressive. A panoply is often understood to be awe-inducing, thrilling, or intimidating due to its sheer size, meaning that when you have one, you'll likely pull it out when you want to make an impression. This sense of showiness carries over into the slightly different usage of panoply to describe an exhibition of an immense, plenary collection of objects or faculties. This kind of panoply involves a display of completeness or enormity that is often given forcefully, boastingly, or grandiosely. Like the panoply of strength conveyed by a bodybuilder performing all sorts of exercises, such a demonstration is usually meant to show off a level of prowess or potential.

Rounding out the panoply of definitions (Boooooooo!) is the word's application to describe a full set of arms or suit of armor. This use of panoply is fairly rare these days; it's a holdover from the days of the ancient Greeks, when the word referred to the combat garb of the heavily-equipped hoplites.

Example: The director was impressed by the actor's panoply of accents.

Example: Although I knew my friend was a collector, I hadn't imagined the panoply of stuffed animals that filled his house.

Example: Bored with what was turning into a pretentious panoply of vocabulary, we ended up walking out of the debate.

Example: The art museum was known to possess the full panoply of a medieval knight.


Origin

Before getting into the story of panoply, a little background: in ancient times (around the 8th and 7th centuries B.C.E.), Greek city states were defended by soldiers called hoplites. Hoplites were adept fighters who perfected innovative battle strategies, but two of their biggest advantages were the spears and shields they carried and the bronze armor they wore. The hoplites were closely associated with their armor, to the point where being one was dependent on a person's ability to afford the necessary bronze.

Hoplite and its root hopla (meaning "arms, i.e. weapons and armor" - not "hoopla") are relevant because they serve as the earliest ancestors of panoply. The Greeks would use hopla as a suffix with the prefix pan- (meaning "all" or "every," as in panorama or panacea) to form panoplia, a noun which referred to a full set of military raiment. Panoplia had been converted to the English panoply by the 1570s, although it wouldn't take on its more modern meaning of "a grand or impressive assembly" until the early 19th century.

In Literature

From Paul Sussman's The Hidden Oasis:

The desert looked if anything even more spectacular than it had on the first leg of their journey, the softening light teasing out its full panoply of colours – yellows and oranges and a dozen different shades of red – the lengthening shadows throwing the landscape into ever sharper and more dramatic relief.

In this description, panoply is used to refer to the wide range of beautiful colors wrought by the setting desert sun.

Mnemonic

  • Panoply shows every faculty in a bit of pageantry

  • A panorama lets you see all the panoplies in a landscape

  • Panacea cures a panoply of diseases

Tags

Ancient Greece, Armor, Collection


Bring out the linguist in you! What is your own interpretation of panoply. Did you use panoply in a game? Provide an example sentence or a literary quote.