From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Ample \Am"ple\, a. [F. ample, L. amplus, prob. for ambiplus full
on both sides, the last syllable akin to L. plenus full. See
Full, and cf. Double.]
Large; great in size, extent, capacity, or bulk; spacious;
roomy; widely extended.
[1913 Webster]
All the people in that ample house
Did to that image bow their humble knees. --Spenser.
[1913 Webster]
2. Fully sufficient; abundant; liberal; copious; as, an ample
fortune; ample justice.
[1913 Webster]
3. Not contracted of brief; not concise; extended; diffusive;
as, an ample narrative. --Johnson.
[1913 Webster]
Syn: Full; spacious; extensive; wide; capacious; abundant;
plentiful; plenteous; copious; bountiful; rich; liberal;
munificent.
Usage: Ample, Copious, Abundant, Plenteous. These
words agree in representing a thing as large, but
under different relations, according to the image
which is used. Ample implies largeness, producing a
sufficiency or fullness of supply for every want; as,
ample stores or resources, ample provision. Copious
carries with it the idea of flow, or of collection at
a single point; as, a copious supply of materials.
"Copious matter of my song." --Milton. Abundant and
plenteous refer to largeness of quantity; as, abundant
stores; plenteous harvests.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
ample
adj 1: more than enough in size or scope or capacity; "had ample
food for the party"; "an ample supply" [ant: meager,
meagerly, meagre, scrimpy, stingy]
2: affording an abundant supply; "had ample food for the party";
"copious provisions"; "food is plentiful"; "a plenteous grape
harvest"; "a rich supply" [syn: ample, copious,
plenteous, plentiful, rich]
3: fairly large; "a sizable fortune"; "an ample waistline"; "of
ample proportions" [syn: ample, sizable, sizeable]
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008) [foldoc]:
AMPLE
<language, music> A FORTH-like language for programming the
500/5000 series of add-on music synthesisers for the {BBC
Microcomputer}. AMPLE was produced by Hybrid Technologies,
Cambridge, England in the mid 1980s. Many AMPLE programs were
published in Acorn User magazine.
(1995-11-01)