# 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: /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 secretMany 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
* (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 |
| Singular | Oblique | maint | mainte | maint | mainte | maint |
| Plural | Subject | maint | maintes | maint | maint |
| Plural | Oblique | mainz | maintes | maint | 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: /mai̯nt/
* Rhymes: -ai̯nt

### Noun

maint m (plural meintiau)
* size, extent
* quantity

#### Derived terms

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

### References

* 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