much

Etymology

From Middle English muche (“much, great”), apocopated variant of muchel (“much, great”), from Old English myċel, miċel (“big, much”), from Proto-West Germanic *mikil, from Proto-Germanic *mikilaz (“great, many, much”), from Proto-Indo-European *meǵh₂- (“big, stour, great”). See also mickle, muckle. cognates Cognate with Scots mickle, mukill, mekil, mikil (“big, large, great, much”), Middle Dutch mēkel (“great, many, much”), Middle High German michel ("great, many, much"; > German michel (“great, big, large”)), Norwegian Bokmål mye (“much”), Norwegian Nynorsk mykje (“much”), Swedish mycket (“much”), Danish meget (“much”), Gothic 𐌼𐌹𐌺𐌹𐌻𐍃 (mikils, “great, many”), Ancient Greek μέγας (mégas, “large, great”), Modern Greek μεγάλος (megálos, “large, great”). Note that English much is not related to Spanish mucho, and their resemblance in both form and meaning is purely coincidental, as mucho derives from Latin multus and is not related to the Germanic forms. Instead, related to Spanish maño.

det

1. A large amount of.
   Hurry! We don't have much time!
   They set about the task with much enthusiasm.
   Unless matters take a nastier turn, neither side has much incentive to compromise. 24 February 2011, “Wisconsin and wider”, in The Economist
2. (in combinations such as 'as much', 'this much') Used to indicate, demonstrate or compare the quantity of something.
   Add this much water and no more.
   Take as much time as you like.
3. (now archaic or nonstandard) A great number of; many (people).
4. (now Caribbean, African-American English, UK regional) Many ( + plural countable noun).
   They got so much things to say right now, they got so much things to say. 1977, Bob Marley (lyrics and music), “So Much Things to Say”

adj

1. (obsolete) Large, great.
2. (obsolete) Long in duration.

adv

1. To a great extent.
   I don't like fish much. I don’t much care for strawberries either.
   He is much fatter than I remember him.
   He left her, much to the satisfaction of her other suitor.
   That boyfriend of yours is much {like - the same as} the others.
   My English was much the worst, and I'm certainly not much good at math either.
   Honestly, I can't stand much more of this.
   Both candidates, who are much of an age, say much the same thing, but the youngest shows much the commoner behavior of the two.
   I can’t lie (I miss you much). Watching every day that goes by (I miss you much). 2008, “Right Now (Na Na Na)” (track 1), in Freedom, performed by Akon
   Tangling with Ziv, Cameron caught him with a flailing elbow, causing the Israeli defender to go down a little easily. However, the referee was in no doubt, much to the displeasure of the home fans. October 20, 2011, Michael da Silva, “Stoke 3-0 Macc Tel-Aviv”, in BBC Sport
   From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much. Those entering it are greeted by wire fences, walls dating back to colonial times and security posts. For mariners leaving the port after lonely nights on the high seas, the delights of the B52 Night Club and Stallion Pub lie a stumble away. 2013-06-08, “The new masters and commanders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 52
2. Often; frequently.
   Does he get drunk much?
3. (in combinations such as 'as much', 'this much') Used to indicate or compare extent.
   I don't like Wagner as much as I like Mozart.
4. (obsolete) Almost.

pron

1. A large amount or great extent.
   From those to whom much has been given much is expected.
   We lay awake for much of the night.