From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:
many
adj : a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often
preceded by `as' or `too' or `so' or `that'; amounting
to a large but indefinite number; "many temptations";
"the temptations are many"; "a good many"; "a great
many"; "many directions"; "take as many apples as you
like"; "too many clouds to see"; "never saw so many
people" [ant: few]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Many \Ma"ny\, n. [See Meine, Mansion.]
A retinue of servants; a household. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Many \Ma"ny\, a. & 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.
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Thou shalt be a father of many nations. --Gen. xvii.
4.
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Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not
many noble, are called. --1 Cor. i.
26.
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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. In such usage it is equivalent to
multi. 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.
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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.
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Syn: Numerous; multiplied; frequent; manifold; various;
divers; sundry.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Many \Ma"ny\, n. [AS. menigeo, menigo, menio, multitude; akin to
G. menge, OHG. manag[imac], menig[imac], Goth. managei. See
Many, a.]
1. The populace; the common people; the majority of people,
or of a community.
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After him the rascal many ran. --Spenser.
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2. A large or considerable number.
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A many of our bodies shall no doubt
Find native graves. --Shak.
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Seeing a great many in rich gowns. --Addison.
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It will be concluded by many that he lived like an
honest man. --Fielding.
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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.
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He is liable to a great many inconveniences.
--Tillotson.
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