Indefinitely numerous, innumerable, great in number, many: (a) preceding an inflected or uninflected plural noun, a collective noun, or an adj. used as a noun; (b) following the noun; (c) as pred. adj.; (d) with indef. adj. or pronoun: ~ other, other ~, many other(s; ~ mo, ~ mo other, ~ swich.

Phrases: (a) fele and ~, ~ and fele, ~ fele, many many; ~ and mo, many and then more; (b) made ~, multiplied; (c) ~ manere(s, many kinds, many kinds of; ~ maneres (wise), having many or various forms, manifold; ~ manere wise, in many or various ways; (d) ~ hundred, ~ thousand(es.

Proverbs: ~ hondes maken light werk; ~ smal maken a gret.

(a) Comp. manier(e, more numerous; (b) sup. maniest, most numerous.

Many a, many an: (a) preceding a sg. noun without the indefinite article; (b) ~ a, ~ an [cp. mani-on phr.]; (c) ~ other, ~ another, many another; (d) ~ is the miracle, there is many a miracle; ~ was the man, there was many a man; ther was ~ a wepinge eien, there were many weeping eyes; etc.

Abundant, much.

In adj. phrases indicating definite number: (a) as (also, so) ~, just as many, just so many; as ~ as, hou ~, just as many as; (b) hou ~, what number of; (c) ~ as, as numerous as; ten so ~, ten times as many.

(a) In surnames; (b) in place names [see Smith PNElem. 2.35].

As noun: an indefinitely large number, a multitude: (a) many persons; (b) many a person; (c) with of- phr.; (d) many things or animals; -- also with of- phr.

(a) In phrases involving an indefinite number: ~ and fele, a great many; in ~, numerous; in ~ ideled, divided into many kinds; multiplied in ~, multiplied many times over; so ~, such a large number; (b) in phrases indicating a definite number: also ~ as, as many men as; as ~ as, hou ~, whatever number; as ~ of, the same number of; so ~ for so ~, so many on each side.