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man·y

(mĕnē)

adj. more (môr), most (mōst)

1. Amounting to or consisting of a large indefinite number: many friends.

2. Being one of a large indefinite number; numerous: many a child; many another day.

n. (used with a pl. verb)

1. The majority of the people; the masses: "The many fail, the one succeeds" (Tennyson).

2. A large indefinite number: A good many of the workers had the flu.

pron. (used with a pl. verb)

A large number of persons or things: "For many are called, but few are chosen" (Matthew 22:14).

Idiom:

as many

The same number of: moved three times in as many years.

[Middle English, from Old English manig; see menegh- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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