mickle

(mĭk'əl) Scots.
adj.
Great.

adv.
Greatly.

[Middle English mikel, from Old English micel and from Old Norse mikill.]

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These are merely variants of the same word meaning 'a large amount', and so the proverb Many a mickle makes a muckle is, in its usual form, a meaningless corruption. The correct form is Many a little (or occasionally pickle = 'small amount') makes a mickle, which is recorded from the 13th century. The corrupted form is first attested in the works of George Washington (late 18th century).

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Scot.  great, much

See words rhyming with "mickle."

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