cor·nu·co·pi·a   (kôr'nə-kō'pē-ə, -nyə-)    n.   A goat's horn overflowing with fruit, flowers, and grain, signifying prosperity. Also called horn of plenty. Greek Mythology The horn of the goat that suckled Zeus, which broke off and became filled with fruit. In folklore, it became full of whatever its owner desired. A cone-shaped ornament or receptacle. An overflowing store; an abundance: a cornucopia of employment opportunities. [Late Latin cornūcōpia, from Latin cornū cōpiae : cornū, horn; see cornu + cōpiae, genitive of cōpia, plenty; see op- in Indo-European roots.] cor'nu·co'pi·an adj.

Cornucopia

Cor`nu*co"pi*a\ (k[^o]r`n[-u]*k[=o]"p[i^]*[.a]), n.; pl. Cornucopias (-[.a]z). [L. cornu copiae horn of plenty. See Horn, and Copious.]

1. The horn of plenty, from which fruits and flowers are represented as issuing. It is an emblem of abundance.

2. pl. (Bot.) A genus of grasses bearing spikes of flowers resembling the cornucopia in form.

Note: Some writers maintain that this word should be written, in the singular, cornu copi[ae], and in the plural, cornua copi[ae].

cornucopia 

cornucopia

decorative motif, dating from ancient Greece, that symbolizes abundance. The motif originated as a curved goat's horn filled to overflowing with fruit and grain. It is emblematic of the horn possessed by Zeus's nurse, the Greek nymph Amalthaea (q.v.), which could be filled with whatever the owner wished.

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