mikið

Mikið is an Icelandic word meaning “much” or “a lot.” It functions mainly as an adverb and as a common quantifier in the phrase mikið af, meaning “a lot of.”

Usage and grammar: It denotes a large quantity or a high degree and is widely used in everyday Icelandic. With the preposition af, it forms phrases such as mikið af fólki (a lot of people) or mikið af pening (a lot of money). It can also function as an intensifier in informal speech, similar to “very,” though in formal writing speakers often prefer words like mjög. As an adverbial modifier, mikið does not inflect for gender or number; the noun following af is placed in the appropriate case (e.g., dó in the dative after af: mikið af fólki).

Origins and relations: Mikið comes from the Old Norse mikill, meaning “large” or “much.” It is cognate with related Germanic words for quantity and with the English word “much.”

See also: mikill

Example: Það var mikið af fólki í garðinum. (There was a lot of people in the garden.) Another common use is Það er mikið að gera. (There is a lot to do.)