hantle means A considerable number or quantity; a great many; a great deal. It carries an Arena rating of 1649, earned across 5 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, hantle ranks #1,128 of 13,220 for Most Sublime Words, #1,479 of 13,220 for Most Whimsical Words, #1,644 of 13,220 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #2,163 of 13,220 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words.
Why “hantle” is a great word
A considerable number or quantity; a great many. Of obscure origin, it is likely an alteration of 'handful', with possible influence from North Germanic words like Swedish 'antal' (number) and Dutch 'aantal' (number, quantity), first attested in 1693. Unlike a 'handful', which implies a small, graspable measure, or a 'multitude', which suggests a countable assembly, a hantle is an indefinite, abundant plenty, steeped in regional soil. It is the uncounted apples windfallen in the orchard grass, the host of midges dancing in a slant of evening light, and the silent accumulation of dust on a long-unopened ledger—a vague but palpable profusion, hinting at things beyond tally or care.
Etymology
Of obscure origin. Perhaps from Middle English *antel, *antæl, from Old English *antæl, *andtæl, equivalent to and- + tale (“number”); or more likely of North Germanic origin, related to Swedish antal, Danish antal (“a number, multitude”), Dutch aantal (“a number, a great many”), and German Anzahl (“a number, quantity, multitude”). The addition of initial h is believed to be due to influence from Middle English handfull (“handful”).
noun
- A considerable number or quantity; a great many; a great deal.“An Irish creature, Erbert Ellison was the name, ran the place for the trustees, he said, but if you might believe all the stories you heard he ran a hantle more silver into his own pouch than he ran into theirs.”
Words closest in meaning
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