Definition

1. Determiner:
   • Used to indicate a large but indefinite number of individual items or people, considered one at a time: "Many a" is a literary or formal phrase used with a singular noun and verb to emphasize that something is true for a large number of individual cases.

Usage

• "Many a" is always followed by a singular countable noun (e.g., man, day, time) and a singular verb. It is equivalent in meaning to "many" followed by a plural noun, but it focuses on the individual instances within the group.
• It is more common in written English, literature, and formal speech than in everyday conversation.

Examples

• Determiner:
  • Many a man has tried to climb that mountain. (This emphasizes that numerous individual men have attempted it.)
  • Many a true word is spoken in jest. (This is a proverb meaning that jokes often contain truth.)
  • I have spent many an hour reading in this library. (This emphasizes many individual hours spent.)

Advanced Usage

• "Many a time": A common fixed phrase meaning "on many occasions."
  • Many a time I have warned him about the dangers.
• "Many a long year": A poetic phrase emphasizing a very long duration.
  • They have been friends for many a long year.

Variants and Related Words

• Many (determiner/pronoun): Used with plural nouns and verbs to indicate a large number.
  • Many people have tried.
• Many's the (phrase): A similar literary construction, often used to start a sentence.
  • Many's the time I've thought about leaving. (This means "There have been many times when I've thought about leaving.")

Synonyms

• Numerous: Consisting of many items.
• Countless: Too many to be counted.
• A great many: A large number (used with plural nouns).

Notes

• Do not confuse "many a" with "many of the." "Many a" is used with a singular noun without an article (e.g., many a soldier). "Many of the" is used with a plural noun and a definite article (e.g., many of the soldiers).
• There are no direct phrasal verbs or idioms formed with "many a" itself, as it functions as a fixed determiner phrase.

Adjective

1. each of a large indefinite number
   • many a man
   • many another day will come