Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Many?

\Ma"ny\, n. [See {Meine}, {Mansion}.] A retinue of servants; a household. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
\Ma"ny\, a. or pron. Note: [It has no variation to express degrees of comparison; more and most, which are used for the comparative and superlative degrees, are from a different root.] [OE. mani, moni, AS. manig, m[ae]nig, monig; akin to D. menig, OS. & OHG. manag, G. manch, Dan. mange, Sw. m[*a]nge, Goth. manags, OSlav. mnog', Russ. mnogii; cf. Icel. margr, Prov. E. mort. [root]103.] Consisting of a great number; numerous; not few. Thou shalt be a father of many nations. --Gen. xvii. 4. Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. --1 Cor. i. 26. Note: Many is freely prefixed to participles, forming compounds which need no special explanation; as, many-angled, many-celled, many-eyed, many-footed, many-handed, many-leaved, many-lettered, many-named, many-peopled, many-petaled, many-seeded, many-syllabled (polysyllabic), many-tongued, many-voiced, many-wived, and the like.
\Ma"ny\, n. [AS. menigeo, menigo, menio, multitude; akin to G. menge, OHG. manag[=i], menig[=i], Goth. managei. See {Many}, a.] 1. The populace; the common people; the majority of people, or of a community. After him the rascal many ran. --Spenser. 2. A large or considerable number. A many of our bodies shall no doubt Find native graves. --Shak. Seeing a great many in rich gowns. --Addison. It will be concluded by manythat he lived like an honest man. --Fielding. Note: In this sense, many is connected immediately with another substantive (without of) to show of what the many consists; as, a good many [of] people think so. He is liable to a great many inconveniences. --Tillotson.