adjective
Comparative of
many mucha. Greater in number: a hall with more seats.
b. Greater in size, amount, extent, or degree: more land; more support.
- Additional; extra: She needs some more time.
noun
A greater or additional quantity, number, degree, or amount: The more I see of you the more I like you.
pron.
used with a pl. verb A greater or additional number of persons or things: I opened only two bottles but more were in the refrigerator.
adverb
Comparative of
much a. To or in a greater extent or degree: loved him even more.
b. Used to form the comparative of many adjectives and adverbs:
more difficult; more softly. See Usage Note at
perfect.
- In addition: phoned twice more.
- Moreover; furthermore.
Origin of more
Middle English
from Old English
māra māre ; see
mē-3 in Indo-European roots.
Usage Note: When a noun phrase contains more than one and a singular noun, the verb is normally singular: More than one editor is working on that project. More than one field has been planted with oats. When more than one is followed by of and a plural noun, the verb is plural: More than one of the paintings were stolen. More than one of the cottages are for sale. When more than one stands alone, it usually takes a singular verb, but it may take a plural verb if the notion of multiplicity predominates: The operating rooms are all in good order. More than one is (or are ) equipped with the latest imaging technology. See Usage Note at one. See Usage Note at over.
Determiner - Comparative form of many: in greater number. (Used for a discrete quantity.)
- more people are arriving; there are more ways to do this than I can count.
- Comparative form of much: in greater quantity, amount, or proportion. (Used for a continuous quantity.)
- I want more soup; I need more time
- There's more caffeine in my coffee than in the coffee you get in most places.
Adverb (not comparable)
- To a greater degree or extent. [from 10th c.]
- He walks more in the morning these days.
- (now poetic) In negative constructions: any further, any longer; any more. [from 10th c.]
- Used alone to form the comparative form of adjectives and adverbs. [from 13th c.]
- You're more beautiful than I ever imagined.
- 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 5, The Celebrity:
- Then we relapsed into a discomfited silence, and wished we were anywhere else. But Miss Thorn relieved the situation by laughing aloud, and with such a hearty enjoyment that instead of getting angry and more mortified we began to laugh ourselves, and instantly felt better.
- 2013 July-August, Henry Petroski, “Geothermal Energy", American Scientist, volume 101, number 4:"Š
- Ancient nomads, wishing to ward off the evening chill and enjoy a meal around a campfire, had to collect wood and then spend time and effort coaxing the heat of friction out from between sticks to kindle a flame. With more settled people, animals were harnessed to capstans or caged in treadmills to turn grist into meal.
- (now dialectal or humorous) Used in addition to an inflected comparative form. (Standard until the 18th century.) [from 13th c.]
- No more than a disagreement from a friend.
Origin From Middle English more, from Old English mÄra (“more"), from Proto-Germanic *maizô (“more"), from Proto-Indo-European *mÄ“- (“many"). Cognate with Scots mair (“more"), West Frisian mear (“more"), Dutch meer (“more"), Low German mehr (“more"), German mehr (“more"), Danish mere (“more"), Swedish mera (“more"), Icelandic meiri, meira (“more").
Noun (plural mores)
- (dialectal) a root; stock.
- A plant.
Origin From Middle English more, moore (“carrot, parsnip") from Old English more, moru (“carrot, parsnip") from Proto-Germanic *murhÅ(n), *murhijÅ(n) (“carrot"), from Proto-Indo-European *mork- (“edible herb, tuber"). Akin to Old Saxon moraha (“carrot"), Old High German morha, moraha (“root of a plant or tree") (German Möhre (“carrot"), Morchel (“mushroom, morel")). More at morel.
Verb (third-person singular simple present mores, present participle moring, simple past and past participle mored)
- To root up.
Origin From Middle English moren, from the noun. See above.
Proper noun - The Volta-Congo language of the Mossi people, mainly spoken in part of Burkina Faso.
Origin From Scottish Gaelic mór (“big"). Also a variant of Moore.
Suffix - (archaic) Used to form a comparative of certain adjectives and adverbs, usually ending in -er.
- Used for placenames
Usage notes - No longer productive in contemporary English except archaically.
Origin From Middle English -more
