Many

How to spell many

4 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce many

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does many mean?

1. determinerA large but indefinite number of people or things.

Many in a sentence

• Many commuters take the early train to avoid the crowds.

• The report listed many reasons for the budget shortfall.

Where does many come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

Many descends directly from the Old English manig (also spelled monig), meaning 'numerous' or 'consisting of a large number'. It is a genuinely native Germanic word, with close cousins across the family: Old Saxon manag, Old High German manag, and modern German manch all share the same ancestor, which is reconstructed in Proto-Germanic as managaz. The word has meant essentially the same thing for well over a thousand years, which is rare for such a common term. The spelling is mildly deceptive because the vowel is pronounced 'eh' rather than the 'a' the letters seem to promise; this happened because the older short vowel shifted in pronunciation while the inherited spelling stayed put. The same quiet mismatch between sound and spelling links many to its frequent partner 'any', which travelled a parallel path from Old English.

How the word is built

• From Old English manig, a single root with no separable prefix or suffix; the modern spelling keeps the -y that replaced the older -ig ending.