​PLEONASM (Gr. πλεονασμός, from πλεοναζειν, to abound or be superfluous, πλέον, comparative of πολύς, many, great, large), redundancy or superfluity in speaking or writing, hence an unnecessary work or phrase. The word, more usually in the Latin form “pleonasmus,” is used in pathology of an abnormal growth or formation.