maint

See also: Maint.

French

Etymology

Inherited 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)

1. (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

     Many a jewel sleeps shrouded / In darkness and oblivion, / […] / Many a flower spills with regret / Its sweet scent like a secret

Derived terms

• à maintes reprises
• maintes fois

 

Pronoun

maint

1. (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)

1. 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)

1. very; a lot

Adjective

maint m (oblique and nominative feminine singular mainte)

1. many

Declension

Declension of maint

Number	Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Singular	Subject	mainz	mainte	maint
	Oblique	maint			mainte	maint
Plural	Subject	maint	maintes		maint
	Oblique	mainz			maintes	maint

Synonyms

• (adverb): molt, biau cop
• (adjective): molt

Descendants

• Middle French: maint
  • French: maint (archaic)

Welsh

Etymology

From Middle Welsh maint, from Old Welsh meint, from Proto-Brythonic *mėnt, 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/
• Rhymes: -ai̯nt

Noun

maint m (plural meintiau)

1. size, extent
2. quantity

Derived terms

• cymaint (“as much, as many”)
• faint (“how many?”)
• meintiol (“quantitative”)
• rhywfaint (“some amount”)

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.

References

1. R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “maint”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies