Ma"ny , n. [AS. menigeo, menigo, menio, multitude; akin to G. menge, OHG. managī,
menigī, 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. &fist; 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.
Ma"ny , a. or
pron. [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, mænig, monig; akin to D.
menig, OS. & OHG. manag, G. manch, Dan. mange, Sw. månge,
Goth. manags, OSlav. mnog', Russ. mnogii; cf. Icel. margr, Prov. E. mort. √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. &fist; 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.
Comparison is often expressed by many with as or so. "As many as were willing hearted . . . brought bracelets." Exod. xxxv.
22. "So many laws argue so many sins." Milton. Many stands with a singular substantive with a or an.
Many a, a large number taken distributively;
each one of
many. "For thy sake have
I shed many a tear." Shak. "Full many a gem
of purest ray serene." Gray. -- Many one, many a one; many persons. Bk. of Com. Prayer. -- The many, the majority; -- opposed to the few. See Many, n.
-- Too many, too numerous; hence, too powerful; as, they are too many for us. L'Estrange.
Syn. -- Numerous;
multiplied; frequent; manifold; various; divers; sundry.
Ma"ny (?), n. [See Meine, Mansion.]
A retinue of servants; a household. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Hear it pronounced