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”).
maint m (feminine mainte, masculine plural maints, feminine plural maintes)
maint
From Old French maint.
maint m (feminine singular mainte, masculine plural maints, feminine plural maintes)
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”).
maint (invariable)
maint m (oblique and nominative feminine singular mainte)
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”).
maint m (plural meintiau)
| 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. | |||