much

A1 Topic:Grammar & Function Words

Also spelled mich

US /mʌtʃ/ UK /mʌt͡ʃ/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like mush /tʃ/ vs /ʃ/ Sounds like muss /tʃ/ vs /s/

Freq #128

Meanings

1

det
A large amount of something.

Do you think I have much chance of catching the train?
2

adv
To a great degree or extent.

She is feeling much better now.
3

noun
A large amount.

They did much for the poor people of the town.
4

adv
Often or frequently.

I don't drink much these days.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

4 adv · often or frequently. often

More greatly highly loads plenty

Opposites

almost few less little nearly

Word family

Forms muchness

Appears in

Phrases (1)

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much-needed rest
a period of relaxation that is greatly required after strain or fatigue

Adjective + noun

Idioms (2)

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Tongue twisters (4)

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A Noisy Oyster
What noise annoys a noisy oyster most? A noisy noise annoys a noisy oyster most.

Keep the two parts of /ɔɪ/ connected in noise, annoys and oyster. Notice that noise and annoys end with voiced /z/, while most begins wit...
Dew Drops
As much of the dew that the dew drops drop, if dew drops do drop dew.

Keep the /dɹ/ cluster in drops and drop connected. Dew may begin with /d/ or /dj/, depending on your accent; use the form natural to you.
How Much Wood
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck If a woodchuck could and would chuck wood? He’d chuck as much wood as a woodchuck would If a woodchuck could and would chuck wood.

Alternate the rounded /w/ with the short stop-and-release of /tʃ/. Wood, would and could share /ʊ/; chuck and much use /ʌ/ in many Englis...
The Meal-Mill Wheel
Much water makes the meal-mill wheel work well.

Close the lips for /m/, then round them for /w/. Contrast meal and mill while keeping the /l/ at the end of each; a meal-mill grinds grain.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂s Proto-Indo-European *-lósder. Proto-Germanic *-ilaz Proto-Germanic *mikilaz Proto-West Germanic *mikil Old English miċel Middle English muchel Middle English muche English much 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, mu…

muche Middle English myċel Old English *mikil Proto-West Germanic *mikilaz Proto-Germanic *meǵh₂- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

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Grammar & Function Words

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# much

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A1
**Part of speech:** det, adv, noun
**IPA (US):** /mʌtʃ/
**IPA (UK):** /mʌt͡ʃ/
**Frequency rank:** 128

## Meanings
1. A large amount of something.
2. To a great degree or extent.
3. A large amount.
4. Often or frequently.

## Examples
- Do you think I have much chance of catching the train?
- She is feeling much better now.
- They did much for the poor people of the town.
- I don't drink much these days.

## Synonyms
- greatly
- highly
- loads
- plenty

## Antonyms
- almost
- few
- less
- little
- nearly

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: muche
- Root: myċel
- Root: *mikil
- Root: *mikilaz
- Root: *meǵh₂-

## Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂s Proto-Indo-European *-lósder. Proto-Germanic *-ilaz Proto-Germanic *mikilaz Proto-West Germanic *mikil Old English miċel Middle English muchel Middle English muche English much 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, mu…

## AI Etymology
Much comes 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. In present-day English its meanings include a large amount of something, to a great degree or extent, and a large amount. The historical chain runs through muche (Middle English), myċel (Old English), *mikil (Proto-West Germanic), *mikilaz (Proto-Germanic), and *meǵh₂- (Proto-Indo-European).

## Topics
- Grammar & Function Words

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much

Meanings

Thesaurus

Appears in

Phrases (1)

Idioms (2)

Tongue twisters (4)

Etymology

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