many

many [men′ē]

adj.

more, most [ME < OE manig, akin to Ger manch (OHG manag) < IE base * menegh-, many, richly > Sans maghā-, gift, OIr menicc, abundant]

1. consisting of some large, indefinite number (of persons or things); numerous

2. relatively numerous (preceded by as, too, etc.)

pl.n.

a large number (of persons or things)

pron.

many persons or things The idiom many a (or an, another) followed by a singular noun or pronoun is equivalent to many followed by the corresponding plural (e.g., “ many a man has tried” means the same thing as “many men have tried”)

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a good many [with pl. v.]

a relatively large number (of persons or things)

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a great many [with pl. v.]

an extremely large number (of persons or things)

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as many

the same number of [to read ten books in as many days]

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be one too many for or be too many for

to defeat; overwhelm

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so many

1. a finite but unspecified number of [works so many hours a week]

2. some number of [acting like so many children]

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the many

1. the majority of people

2. the masses