Sunday Word: Replete

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replete [ri-pleet]

adjective:
1 abundantly supplied or provided; filled (usually followed by with):
2 stuffed or gorged with food and drink.
3 complete

Examples:

The Nepal-born executive chef, Min B. Thapa, is no stranger to the Chicago dining scene. His cooking is replete with wonderfully rich flavors and unique methods. (Josh Noel, 58 Chicago restaurants awarded Bib Gourmand designation by Michelin Guide, including 10 first-timers, Chicago Tribune, April 2021)

Rock and pop are replete with styles that came about as the result of happenstance. (In music, accidents are the mother of invention, The Economist, April 2021)

Has this mind, so replete with ideas, imaginations fanciful and magnificent, which formed a world, whose existence depended on the life of its creator; - has this mind perished? (Mary Shelley, Frankenstein)

Over her shoulders the newly risen moon poured a flood of silvery light, stretching from her feet across the shining bars of the river to the opposite bank, and on up to the very crest of the Devil's Spur--no longer a huge bulk of crushing shadow, but the steady exaltation of plateau, spur, and terrace clothed with replete and unutterable beauty. (Bret Harte, Devil's Forde)

Origin:

Late 14c., from Old French replet 'filled up' (14c.), from Latin repletus 'filled, full,' past participle of replere 'to fill; fill again, re-fill,' from re- + plere 'to fill' (from PIE root pele- 'to fill'). (Online Etymology Dictionary)

Given that one of the roots of replete is the Latin verb plēre, meaning 'to fill,' it isn't surprising that the word has synonyms such as 'full' and 'complete.' 'Replete,' 'full,' and 'complete' all indicate that something contains all that is wanted or needed or possible, but there are also subtle differences between the words. 'Full' implies the presence or inclusion of everything that can be held, contained, or attained ('a full schedule'), while 'complete' applies when all that is needed is present ('a complete picture of the situation'). 'Replete' is the synonym of choice when fullness is accompanied by a sense of satiety. (Merriam-Webster)