Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Plus

Plus

,
Adj.
[L., more; akin to Gr. [GREEK], [GREEK], and E.
full
. See
Full
,
Adj.
, and cf.
Più
,
Pleonasm
.]
1.
(Math.)
More, required to be added; positive, as distinguished from negative; – opposed to
minus
.
2.
Hence, in a literary sense, additional; real; actual.
Success goes invariably with a certain
plus
or positive power.
Emerson.
Plus sign
(Math.)
,
the sign (+) which denotes addition, or a positive quantity.

Webster 1828 Edition


Plus

PLUS

, [L. more,] in algebra, a character marked thus,+, used as the sign of addition.

Definition 2024


Plus

Plus

See also: plus and plús

German

Noun

Plus n (genitive Plus, plural Plus or Plusse)

  1. plus
  2. positive pole
  3. increase

plus

plus

See also: Plus and plús

English

Conjunction

plus

  1. sum of the previous one and the following one.
    Two plus two equals four.
    A water molecule is made up of two hydrogen atoms plus one of oxygen.
  2. (colloquial) with; having in addition
    I've won a holiday to France plus five hundred Euros' spending money!
  3. and also; in addition
    Let's go home now, it's late, plus I'm not feeling too well.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

plus (plural pluses or plusses)

  1. A positive quantity.
  2. An asset or useful addition.
    He is a real plus to the team.
  3. (arithmetic) A plus sign: +.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Translations

Adjective

plus (not comparable)

  1. Being positive rather than negative or zero.
    -2 * -2 = +4 ("minus 2 times minus 2 equals plus four")
  2. Positive, or involving advantage.
    He is a plus factor.
  3. (physics) Electrically positive.
    A battery has both a plus pole and a minus pole.

Derived terms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Translations

Verb

plus (third-person singular simple present pluses or plusses, present participle plusing or plussing, simple past and past participle plused or plussed)

  1. (informal) To add; to subject to addition.
    • 1973, Australian Council for Educational Research, ACER research series - Issues 93-95, page 39:
      For him y is a unique number, like 7, but for the time being unknown — if one does the operation of 'plussing 4' one still has, as a result, a unique number even though one does not yet know what it is.
    • 1974, Control of Human Behavior: Behavior modification in education:
      The teacher observing the behavior of a child who is plussing or not-plussing is observing instances or not-instances of the concept of plussing.
  2. (often followed by 'up') To increase in magnitude.
    • 2006, Danny Fingeroth & ‎Mike Manley, How to Create Comics: From Script to Print, ISBN 1893905608, page 48:
      I am doing a lot of writing here, plussing the script, adding sequences.
    • 2009, United States Congress House Committee on Homeland Security, The Direction and Viability of the Federal Protective Service:
      We are losing at the street level a number of officers, but we are plussing up deputy positions.
    • 2012, United States Congress House Committee on Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel, Military Retirement Reform, page 24:
      And I believe that, if we can't recognize that in retirement, we ought to recognize it in plussing up hazardous duty pay, plussing up sea duty pay and all those other things that recognize people that don't punch out on Saturday, on Friday afternoon and go home, and just, you know, go day after day after day.
  3. To improve.
    • 1998, Nate Booth, Strategies for Fast-Changing Times, ISBN 0761511342, page 91:
      Coach Wooden didn't have to depend upon having the most talented players on his team because he could depend upon plussing to constantly make everyone better.
    • 2007, Howard Hendricks, Color Outside the Lines, ISBN 1418569720, page 123:
      Keep fooling around with it, improving it, and making it better. You know you have a unique factor when someone steals it. So keep the unique factor unique by constantly plussing it.
    • (Can we date this quote?), Pat Williams & ‎Jim Denney, How to Be Like Walt: Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life, ISBN 0757394469, page 2010:
      He was a pioneer in plussing the artform of animated cartoons. He began by plussing Micky Mouse with sound, the plussing the Silly Symphonies with color. Walt plussed the skills of his artists by sending them to art school at his own expense.
  4. To provide critical feedback by giving suggestions for improvement rather than criticisms.
    • 2013, David Burkus, The Myths of Creativity, ISBN 1118729889:
      The animators and directors on the receiving end of the plussing don't necessarily have to accept and incorporate the feedback, but plussing provides a method to share criticisms in a way that makes it more likely that they will.
    • 2014, Steven Krupp & ‎Paul J.H. Schoemaker, Winning the Long Game: How Strategic Leaders Shape the Future, ISBN 1610394488:
      Strategic leaders can adapt the US Army's after-action review and Pixar's plussing technique (where you build on ideas rather than critique and subtract) to show their teams how to learn from mistakes.
    • 2014, BusinessNews Publishing, Summary : Little Bets - Peter Sims, ISBN 2511022389:
      When people view the early drafts of ideas for their movies under development, they always use plussing to try and come up with suggestions for enhancements. Feedback is always given in an upbeat rather than a derogatory manner.
  5. (sales) To sell additional related items with an original purchase.
    • 1920, The Current Business Cyclopedia: Business Digest:
      Good will is also secured by plussing the original purchase with another article that goes appropriately with it.
    • 1986, Max Fallek, How to Set Up and Operate Your Own Law Practice:
      Plussing the original sale creates a win-win situation. The customer benefits because it often saves him the time necessary to run back to the store for overlooked items.
  6. (psychology) To frame in a positive light; to provide a sympathetic interpretation.
    • 1979, Douglas A. Puryear, Helping People in Crisis, page 87:
      Plussing is a technique for enhancing a positive atmosphere in the session, for diminishing hostility, and for raising self-esteem.
    • 1997, Bernard L. Bloom, Planned short-term psychotherapy: a clinical handbook, page 187:
      In addition to active listening as a general therapeutic strategy, Puryear identifies two specific techniques, plussing and paradox, that are used throughout the crisis intervention.
    • 2015, Kenneth France, Crisis Intervention, ISBN 0398081077, page 177:
      When plussing, the intervenor introduces novel viewpoints that can increase the self-esteem of both the attacker and the target.
  7. (social media) To give a mark of approval on Google+.
    • 2012, Lee Odden, Optimize, ISBN 1118239571, page 111:
      How do you get others to add you or your brand to their circles? By creating and sharing useful content, commenting, plussing others' content and comments, and engaging with others on Google+.
    • 2014, Ed Catmull, Creativity, Inc., ISBN 1448126282, page 279:
      Everyone was plussing them or liking them or pinning them. The videos went viral.
  8. (homeopathy) To increase the potency of a remedy by diluting it in water and stirring.
    • 2005, B. Sahni, Transmission of Homoeo Drug Energy from Distance, ISBN 8170211352, page 188:
      On hearing this, plussing was done (all medicated water of the phial was thrown away and fresh distilled was added and 10 strokes were given) on the 13th February 1974.
    • 2007, Kate Birch, Vaccine Free Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Contagious Disease with Homeopathy, ISBN 1425118690:
      From the remaining water a second dilution can be prepared plussing it to the next slightly higher potency.
    • 2011, Kim Lane, Homeopathy for Home: Acute Illness & Injury Care, ISBN 1465356797, page 29:
      Plussing is used quite frequently in a patient who's quite sensitive or has an acute problem happening or needs to change his dose or need to take it over several days.
  9. (optometry) To increase a correction.
    • 1976, David M. Worthen & ‎Perry S. Binder, The intraocular lens in perspective, ISBN 088372040X, page 2:
      No aspheric cataract spectacle lens designer has ever given the slightest thought to this 4 to 6 diopters of over-plussing for peripheral vision which is responsible for tremendous peripheral distortion, worse peripheral swim, worse false orientation, worse magnification, severe concave curvature of field ("The floor comes up at you"), increased ring scotoma size and increase jack-in-the-box phenomenon (the "horse-blinder effect") with unsafe walking and driving.

See also


Esperanto

Conjunction

plus

  1. plus
    Du plus du faras kvar.
    Two plus two makes four.

Antonyms


Finnish

Conjunction

plus

  1. plus

Synonyms

  • (plus): ynnä (archaic)

Antonyms

Derived terms


French

Etymology

From Old French plus, from Latin plus, from Old Latin *plous, from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁-, *pelh₁u- (many).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ply/ in its positive sense if followed by an adjective (or an adverb) not beginning with a vowel, and always in its negative sense (e.g. il est plus grand que moi, or je n'en peux plus)
  • IPA(key): /plyz/ in the case of a liaison, i.e. if followed by an adjective (or an adverb) beginning with a vowel (e.g. tu dois être plus ambitieux)
  • IPA(key): /plys/ in its positive sense, when not followed by an adjective or an adverb (e.g. j'en ai plus que toi or avancez un peu plus, s'il vous plait)

Adverb

plus

  1. more, -er (used to form comparatives of adjectives)
    Ton voisin est plus moche que mon frère
    Your neighbour is uglier than my brother.
    Le tien est beaucoup plus grand que le mien.
    Yours is much bigger than mine.
    Elle est plus belle que sa cousine.
    She is more beautiful than her cousin.
    J'en veux plus
    I want more
    Elles sont toutes plus entêtées les unes que les autres.
    They are each more stubborn than the last.
  2. more, -er (used to form comparatives of adverbs)
    Elle le fait plus rapidement que lui.
    She does it faster than he.
    plus vite !
    faster!
    trois fois plus grand
    three times bigger
    mille fois plus intelligent
    a thousand times more intelligent
  3. (after a verb) more, -er (indicating a higher degree or quantity)
    Je travaille plus en ce moment.
    I am working more at the moment.
    Je veux faire plus.
    I want to do more.
  4. (before a noun) more (indicating a greater quantity; followed by de)
    Elle a plus de chocolat.
    She has more chocolate.
    Il n'y a plus de travail.
    There is no more work.
    plus de la moitié reste.
    more than half's remaining
  5. more (supplementary, preceded by de)
    Une heure de plus et il sera mort
    One more hour and he will be dead.
    Un kilo de plus, s'il vous plaît
    One more kilo, please
  6. (preceded by a definite article) most, -est (used to form superlatives of adjectives and adverbs)
    la plus grande
    the biggest
    le plus difficile
    the most difficult
  7. (usually with the negative particle ne, see usage notes below) no longer, not ... any more
    Tu n'existes plus - You no longer exist or You do not exist any more

Derived terms

Usage notes

  • There may be some difficulty for non-native speakers to detect the negativity or positivity of "plus". The negative sense is generally used with a ne, but sometimes the "ne" is dropped in colloquial speech. Thus in certain cases, some speakers may choose to pronounce the final /s/ of a positive plus (as /plys/) in order to make a distinction.

Noun

plus m (plural plus)

  1. plus, the symbol +

Verb

plus

  1. first-person singular past historic of plaire
  2. second-person singular past historic of plaire

Participle

plus

  1. (obsolete) masculine plural of the past participle of plaire

Usage notes

  • In modern French, the past participle of plaire is always invariable, because it is always intransitive.

German

Pronunciation

Adverb

plus

  1. plus, increased by
    Vier plus eins ergibt fünf.

Synonyms

Antonyms

See also


Interlingua

Adverb

plus (not comparable)

  1. more (used to form comparatives)

le plus

  1. the most (used to form superlatives)

Antonyms


Latin

Etymology

From Old Latin *plous, from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁-, *pelh₁u- (many). Cognate with Ancient Greek πολύς (polús, many), Old English feolo (much, many). More at fele.

Pronunciation

Adjective

plūs (comparative of multus)

  1. more

Inflection

Third declension, comparative variant. Several missing or irregular forms.

Number Singular Plural
Case / Gender Masc./Fem. Neuter Masc./Fem. Neuter
nominative plūs plūrēs plūra
genitive plūris plūrium
dative plūribus
accusative plūs plūrēs plūra
ablative plūre plūribus
vocative plūs plūrēs plūra

Note: Singular forms take the genitive of the whole and do not function as adjectives.

Derived terms

Descendants

References

  • plus in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • plus in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • PLUS in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
  • Félix Gaffiot (1934), “plus”, in Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Paris: Hachette.
  • Meissner, Carl; Auden, Henry William (1894) Latin Phrase-Book, London: Macmillan and Co.
    • twenty years and more: viginti anni et amplius, aut plus
    • one, two, several days had passed, intervened: dies unus, alter, plures intercesserant
    • to expend great labour on a thing: egregiam operam (multum, plus etc. operae) dare alicui rei
    • to discuss a subject more fully on the same lines: plura in eam sententiam disputare
    • to give a full, detailed account of a thing: pluribus verbis, copiosius explicare, persequi aliquid
    • to possess great political insight: plus in re publica videre
    • to say nothing further on..: ut plura non dicam
    • in short; to be brief: ne multa, quid plura? sed quid opus est plura?
    • more of this another time: sed de hoc alias pluribus

Old French

Excerpt from the Oxford manuscript of The Song of Roland. The final three words are 'plus de mil'.

Etymology

From Latin plus.

Adverb

plus

  1. (with de) more than

Descendants

  • French: plus
  • Norman: pus (Jersey)

Old Provençal

Etymology

From Latin plus.

Adjective

plus

  1. more
    • 12th century,. Bernard de Ventadour, Lancan folhon bosc e jarric
      ome de me no vei plus ric
      I do not see a richer [more rich] than than me

Descendants


Polish

Pronunciation

Noun

plus m inan

  1. plus, plus sign

Declension

Antonyms


Romanian

Etymology

Borrowing from Latin plus (19th century).

Conjunction

plus

  1. plus, and

Synonyms

Noun

plus n (plural plusuri)

  1. plus, addition, extra, surplus

Derived terms

  • plusa

Spanish

Noun

plus m (plural plus)

  1. bonus (extra earnings)