mickle

American  

[mik-uhl] / ˈmɪk əl /

adjective

Archaic.

1. great; large; much.

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mickle British  

/ ˈmɪkəl, ˈmʌkəl /

adjective

1. great or abundant

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adverb

1. much; greatly

noun

1. a great amount, esp in the proverb, mony a little makes a mickle

2. a small amount, esp in the proverb, many a mickle maks a muckle

Etymology

Origin of mickle

First recorded before 900; Middle English mikel, from Old Norse mikill; replacing Middle English michel, Old English micel; cognate with Old High German mihil, Gothic mikils, akin to Latin magnus, Greek mégas. See much

Example Sentences

There’s a Jamaican phrase, “Every mickle mek a muckle,” which means “Every little bit adds up.”

From Time • Jun. 1, 2015

Many a mickle makes a muckle NECESSITY, so the proverb has it, is the mother of invention.

From Economist • Oct. 18, 2012

As in: Mony a mickle wee bits of writing over the years maks "makar" a muckle deal of an honour to find oneself receiving a month after one's 63rd birthday .

From The Guardian • Jan. 25, 2011

"Many a mickle makes a muckle" says Harvey Anderson, when he is challenged on his belief that waste like this is the one big reason for the raw-materials crisis.

From Time Magazine Archive

I come to the end of things, dear friend, and he waxes mickle; my tides have gone slack and flaccid, while his swell newly to proxigean spring and rush through the gut.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson