From Middle English muche, apocopated variant of muchel, from Old English myċel, miċel, from Proto-West Germanic *mikil, from Proto-Germanic *mikilaz, from Proto-Indo-European *meǵh₂-.

Cognate with Scots mickle, mukill, mekil, mikil ("big, large, great, much"), Middle Dutch mekel, Middle High German michel "great, many, much"; > German michel, Norwegian Bokmål mye, Norwegian Nynorsk mykje, Swedish mycket, Danish meget, Gothic 𐌼𐌹𐌺𐌹𐌻𐍃, Ancient Greek μέγας, Modern Greek μεγάλος.

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 forms.

• (RP) IPA: /mʌt͡ʃ/,
• (Northern England) IPA: /mʊt͡ʃ/,
• (America) IPA: /mʌt͡ʃ/,

1. A large amount of. [from 13th c.]

   Hurry! We don't have much time!

   They set about the task with much enthusiasm.

   • 1817 (date written), [Jane Austen], Persuasion; published in Northanger Abbey: And Persuasion. […], volume (please specify |volume=III or IV), London: John Murray, […], 20 December 1817 (indicated as 1818), →OCLC ↗:

     As it was, he did nothing with much zeal, but sport; and his time was otherwise trifled away, without benefit from books or anything else.

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). [from 13th c.]
   • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter [https://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/MaloryWks2/1:22.10?rgn=div2;view=fulltext X], in Le Morte Darthur, book XX:

     ye shall not nede to seke hym soo ferre sayd the Kynge / for as I here saye sir Launcelot will abyde me and yow in the Ioyous gard / and moche peple draweth vnto hym as I here saye

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC ↗, Matthew:

     When Jesus was come downe from the mountayne, moch people folowed him.

   • 1897, Bram Stoker, Dracula, New York, N.Y.: Modern Library, →OCLC ↗:

     There wasn't much people about that day.

4. (now, Caribbean, African-American, UK regional) many ( + plural countable noun). [from 13th c.]

• a great deal of, (informal) a lot of

• little

• how much
• too much

• French: beaucoup
• German: viel
• Italian: molto
• Portuguese: muito, um monte de
• Russian: мно́го
• Spanish: mucho

much (not comparable)

1. (obsolete) Large, great. [12th]
   • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, “[https://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/MaloryWks2/1:22.4?rgn=div2;view=fulltext iiij]”, in Le Morte Darthur, book XX:

     Thenne launcelot vnbarred the dore / and with his lyfte hand he held it open a lytel / so that but one man myghte come in attones / and soo there came strydyng a good knyghte a moche man and large / and his name was Colgreuaunce / of Gore / and he with a swerd strake at syr launcelot myȝtely and he put asyde the stroke

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. (obsolete) Long in duration.

much (comparative more, superlative most)

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.

   • 1909, Archibald Marshall [pseudonym; Arthur Hammond Marshall], “A Court Ball”, in The Squire’s Daughter, New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead and Company, published 1919, →OCLC ↗, page 9 ↗:

     They stayed together during three dances, went out on to the terrace, explored wherever they were permitted to explore, paid two visits to the buffet, and enjoyed themselves much in the same way as if they had been school-children surreptitiously breaking loose from an assembly of grown-ups.

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. (slang) Combining with an adjective or (occasionally) a noun, used in a rhetorical question to mock someone for having the specified quality.

   Jamie's always preaching about how we need to save a planet when she drives literally everywhere she goes. Like, hypocritical much?

   • 2005 December 28, Seth Stevenson, “What’s With That Overstock.com Ad?”, in Slate‎^{[https://web.archive.org/web/20240120185638/https://slate.com/business/2005/02/the-overstock-com-hottie.html]}, New York, N.Y.: The Slate Group, →ISSN ↗, →OCLC ↗, archived from the original ↗ on 2024-01-20:

     The moment you've been waiting for—the lowdown on the Overstock hottie. I talked to her by phone last week. (Jealous much, gentlemen? Ad Report Card talks to all the fine ladies.)

5. (obsolete) Almost.

• (to a great extent) (informal) a great deal, (informal) a lot, greatly, highly, (informal) loads, plenty (slang, especially US), very much

• (antonym(s) of “to a great extent”): less, little, few, almost, nearly

• French: beaucoup
• German: viel
• Italian: molto
• Portuguese: muito
• Russian: о́чень
• Spanish: mucho

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.

Two main origins:

• Borrowed from German Much.
• A variant of Mutch.

1. Surname.