maint
French
Etymology
From Middle French maint, from Old French maint, meint (“many”), from Frankish *managiþu (“a large quantity, a great many”), from Proto-Germanic *managiþō (“large quantity, multitude”), from Proto-Indo-European *monegʰ- (“many”). Cognate with Middle Dutch menichte (“multitude, great number”), Middle High German mennichte (“quantity”), Old English menigdu (“group of people”). More at many.
Alternatively, the Old French could be from Gaulish *mantī, from Proto-Celtic *mantī (“quantity”) (compare Welsh maint, Old Irish méit), from Proto-Indo-European *mh₁-nt-, from *meh₁- (“to measure”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /mɛ̃/
audio (file) - Homophones: main, mains, maints
Determiner
maint m (feminine mainte, masculine plural maints, feminine plural maintes)
- (archaic or literary) many
- 1857, Charles Baudelaire, “Le Guignon”, in Les Fleurs du mal:
- — Maint joyau dort enseveli / Dans les ténèbres et l’oubli, / […] / Mainte fleur épanche à regret / Son parfum doux comme un secret
- (please add an English translation of this quote)
-
Derived terms
- à maintes reprises
- maintes fois
Pronoun
maint
- (rare or literary) many
Further reading
- “maint”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams
- matin, mâtin, minât, mitan
Middle French
Etymology
From Old French maint.
Adjective
maint m (feminine singular mainte, masculine plural maints, feminine plural maintes)
- many; a lot of
Descendants
- French: maint (archaic)
Old French
Alternative forms
- meint
Etymology
From Frankish *menigda, *managda (“a large quantity, a great many”), from Proto-Germanic *managiþō (“large quantity, multitude”), from Proto-Indo-European *monegʰ- (“many”).
Alternatively from Gaulish *mantī, from Proto-Celtic *mantī (“quantity”) (compare Welsh maint, Old Irish méit), from Proto-Indo-European *mh₁-nt-, from *meh₁- (“to measure”).
Adverb
maint (invariable)
- very; a lot
Adjective
maint m (oblique and nominative feminine singular mainte)
- many
Declension
Number | Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | Subject | mainz | mainte | maint |
Oblique | maint | |||
Plural | Subject | maint | maintes | |
Oblique | mainz |
Synonyms
- (adverb): molt, biau cop
- (adjective): molt
Descendants
- Middle French: maint
- French: maint (archaic)
Welsh
Etymology
From Proto-Brythonic *mėnt, from Proto-Celtic *mantī (“quantity”) (compare Old Irish méit, Irish méid), from Proto-Indo-European *mh₁-nt-, from *meh₁- (“to measure”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /mai̯nt/
Noun
maint m (plural meintiau)
- size, extent
- quantity
Derived terms
- cymaint (“as much, as many”)
- faint (“how many?”)
- meintiol (“quantitative”)
Mutation
Welsh mutation | |||
---|---|---|---|
radical | soft | nasal | aspirate |
maint | faint | unchanged | unchanged |
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs. |