different between large vs many

English

Etymology

From Middle English large, from Old French large, from Latin larga, feminine of largus (“abundant, plentiful, copious, large, much”). Mostly displaced Middle English stoor, stour (“large, great”) (from Old English st?r) and muchel (“large, great”) (from Old English my?el).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?l??d??/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?l??d??/
• Rhymes: -??(?)d?

Adjective

large (comparative larger, superlative largest)

1. Of considerable or relatively great size or extent.

2. (obsolete) Abundant; ample.
3. (archaic) Full in statement; diffuse; profuse.
   • 1711, Henry Felton, Dissertation on Reading the Classics

     I might be very large upon the importance and advantages of education.

4. (obsolete) Free; unencumbered.

   • Of burdens all he set the Paynims large.

5. (obsolete) Unrestrained by decorum; said of language.
6. (nautical) Crossing the line of a ship's course in a favorable direction; said of the wind when it is abeam, or between the beam and the quarter.

Synonyms

• big, huge, giant, gigantic, enormous, stour, great, mickle, largeish
• See also Thesaurus:large

Antonyms

• small, tiny, minuscule

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

large (countable and uncountable, plural larges)

1. (music, obsolete) An old musical note, equal to two longas, four breves, or eight semibreves.
2. (obsolete) Liberality, generosity.
3. (slang, plural: large) A thousand dollars/pounds.

   Getting a car tricked out like that will cost you 50 large.
4. A large serving of something.

   One small coffee and two larges, please.

Derived terms

• at large

Adverb

large

1. (nautical) Before the wind.

Further reading

• large in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• large in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• Agler, Alger, Elgar, Ragle, ergal, glare, lager, regal

French

Etymology

From Old French large, from Latin largus, larga, largum (“abundant, plentiful, copious, large, much”). The feminine is inherited, but for the masculine, Latin largum (the masculine and neuter accusative) developed into Old French larc, which was discarded.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /la??/
• (Paris)
• Homophone: larges
• Hyphenation: large

Adjective

large (plural larges)

1. wide, broad
2. large
3. generous

Derived terms

• de long en large
• en long en large
• large d'esprit
• ratisser large

Related terms

• largesse

Noun

large m (plural larges)

1. open sea
2. width

Synonyms

• (open sea): haute mer
• (width): largeur

Derived terms

Descendants

• Antillean Creole: laj
• Haitian Creole: laj
• Karipúna Creole French: laj
• Louisiana Creole French: laj, larj

Anagrams

• Alger, grêla, régal, régla

Further reading

• “large” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Latin

Etymology 1

Adverb

larg? (comparative largius, superlative largissim?)

1. munificently, generously, liberally.
2. abundantly, copiously.
3. to a great extent.

Etymology 2

Adjective

large

1. vocative masculine singular of largus

References

• large in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• large in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers

Norman

Etymology

From Old French large, from Latin largus (“abundant, plentiful, copious, large, much”).

Adjective

large m or f

1. (Jersey) wide

Derived terms

Noun

large m (plural larges)

1. (Jersey, nautical) open sea, deep sea

   Synonym: plieine mé

Old French

Alternative forms

• larc (Roman de Renard, "wide")

Etymology

From Latin largus, larga.

Adjective

large m (oblique and nominative feminine singular large)

1. generous
2. large; big
3. wide (when used to differentiate between height, width and length)

Descendants

• ? Middle English: large
  • English: large
• Middle French: large
  • French: large
    • Antillean Creole: laj
    • Haitian Creole: laj
    • Karipúna Creole French: laj
    • Louisiana Creole French: laj, larj
• Norman: large (Guernsey, Jersey)

References

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (large, supplement)
• large on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub

English

Alternative forms

• manie (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English many, mani, moni, from Old English mani?, moni?, mane? (“many”), from Proto-West Germanic *manag, from Proto-Germanic *managaz (“some, much, many”).

The noun is from Middle English manye, *menye, from Old English manigeo, menigu (“company, multitude, host”), from Proto-Germanic *manag?, *manag?? (“multitude”), from the same root as the determiner. Cognate with Middle Low German menige, menie, menje (“multitude”), Russian ????? (mnogo).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?m?ni/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?m?ni/
  • Rhymes: -?ni
  • (pin–pen merger) IPA^(key): /?m?ni/
    • Homophone: mini (pin-pen merger)
• (Ireland) IPA^(key): /?mæni/
  • Rhymes: -æni
• Hyphenation: ma?ny

Determiner

many (comparative more, superlative most)

1. An indefinite large number of.

   • Thou shalt be a father of many nations.

   • The big houses, and there are a good many of them, lie for the most part in what may be called by courtesy the valleys. You catch a glimpse of them sometimes at a little distance from the [railway] line, which seems to have shown some ingenuity in avoiding them, […].
2. (in combinations such as 'as many', 'so many', 'this many') Used to indicate, demonstrate or compare the number of people or things.

   We don't need this many bananas. Put some back.

   There may be as many as ten million species of insect.

   I don't have as many friends as my sister does.

Usage notes

• Many is used only with the plural of countable nouns (except in the combination many a). Its counterpart used with uncountable nouns is much. Many and much merge in the comparative and superlative forms, which are more and most for both determiners.

• It was once common to use the indefinite article with many (very a many years ago), as it still is with few (a few good men). However, this has fallen out of favor except in formations such as "a great/good many."

Synonyms

• a lot of

Antonyms

• few

Derived terms

Translations

Pronoun

many

1. An indefinite large number of people or things.
   • 1611 – King James Version of the Bible, Luke 1:1

     Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us...

Antonyms

• few

Derived terms

• many-to-many
• one-to-many

Related terms

• how many
• many a
• so many

Translations

Noun

many (plural (rare) manies)

1. A multitude; a great aggregate; a mass of people; the generality; the common herd.

2. A considerable number.

   A good many (of the elders) had been tone-deaf for a good many years.

   • 2005, Florence Dyer, A Mother's Cry!: Touches the Very Heart of God (page 22)

     I know that my mother cried a many of times from decisions I made.

Synonyms

• (multitude): crowd, mob; see also Thesaurus:commonalty
• (considerable number): abundance, buttload, deal; see also Thesaurus:lot

Translations

Adjective

many (comparative more, superlative most)

1. Existing in large number; numerous.

Synonyms

• multiple, several; see also Thesaurus:manifold

References

• many at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• MYAN, Myan., myna

Maricopa

Pronoun

many

1. (personal) you