Word
trove
US/ˈtɹoʊv/
UK/tɹˈəʊv/
Definitions
01a valuable collection
n. a collection of valuable or useful things that you find together.
n. a collection of valuable or interesting items, often discovered in a single location or source.
“The old library was a trove of information for the young researcher.”
“The attic proved to be a veritable trove of family history, containing letters and photographs dating back to the nineteenth century.”
Literary
Usage
Often appears in the compound 'treasure trove' or as a metaphor for a source of information.
Synonyms
02legal treasure
n. valuable items like gold or silver that were hidden long ago and found later.
n. specifically refers to 'treasure trove' in a legal context: gold, silver, or bullion found hidden in the earth or a private place.
“The farmer discovered a trove of Roman coins while plowing his field.”
“Under the current legislation, any trove of precious metals discovered on private land must be reported to the local coroner within fourteen days.”
Technical · Formal
Teaching tip
This technical sense is almost always paired with 'treasure' (treasure trove). Outside of legal contexts, 'trove' is used figuratively for any rich source of items.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“The Treasure of Villena is a unique trove of almost ten kilos of gold, bowls, bottles and bracelets dating back to the Bronze Age.” “That collection expanded when my Aunt Anna May died in 1987 and my mom inherited an entire trove of family history from the Casper home.” “FilippoBacci/E+ via Getty Images A trove of recent articles bemoan the collapse in recreational reading among younger Americans, with COVID-related reading declines , artificial intelligence and social media often described as causes.” Etymology
Originally in the phrase treasure trove, from Anglo-Norman tresor trouvé (“found treasure”), where the past participle trouvé (“found”) was interpreted in English as a noun. Doublet of trope.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/trove