![]() ![]() Who under an evil government, can feel any unsophisticated thirst of glory, or be desirous that posterity should know he tasted the bitter cup of servitude under this or that tyrant? Or, worse still, that while myriads of his nobler countrymen were smitten and pining in secret sadness, at beholding the abomination of desolation in the Holy Place of Freedom or were, perchance, carried forcibly away for imaginary offenses into exile beyond the seas, he could tune his slavish lyre for the amusement of courtiers, or insolently celebrate his private pleasures? John in 1889:Īnd, to speak honestly, I have not yet learned to think so meanly of my countrymen, as not to believe that this island contains many myriads to whom truth, both in politics and religion, is precious as life itself. If thou beest he but Oh how fallen! how changedįrom him, who in the happy realms of lightĬlothed with transcendent brightness didst outshineĪnd it also appears at least twice in the editor’s preface of “ The Prose Works of John Milton” written by James Augustus St. ![]() John Milton also used the plural, “myriads,” in “ Paradise Lost”: For example, in the verse Daniel 7:10, the King James Bible writes about “ ten thousand times ten thousand standing before him,” but other translations describe it as “a myriad of myriads,” “ten thousand of myriads,” and “myriads upon myriads.” A Google Ngram search shows that “myriads” used to be more common than it is today, and looking through old sources, the phrase “myriads and myriads” often pops up to mean “an awful lot of something.”įurther, depending on the translation, some Bibles include variations on that phrase. (The Chicago Manual of Style doesn’t comment on “a myriad of” directly, but in a Q&A refers people to Merriam-Webster.) ‘Myriads’Īlso, as a noun, “myriad” even has a plural-“myriads”-which I confess grates on my ears a bit, but Merriam-Webster says it’s acceptable. ![]() So if you’re following AP style, it doesn’t matter what Merriam-Webster or Garner says is fine. And in fact, the AP Stylebook says not to use it. Nevertheless, if you choose to say or write “a myriad of,” I have to warn you that you’ll encounter occasional but vehement resistance. Today, “myriad” is used as both a noun and an adjective, which means it can be used with an “a” before it (as a noun, “a myriad” just as you would say “a mouse”) or without an “a” before it (as an adjective, “myriad delights” just as you would say “delicious treats”). The argument goes like this: You wouldn’t say, “There are a ten thousand of delights,” so you shouldn’t say, “There are a myriad of delights.”īelieve it or not, most language experts say that either way is fine. “Myriad” was actually used as a noun in English long before it was used as an adjective, and Merriam-Webster says the criticism the word gets as a noun is “ recent.” Further, Garner’s Modern English Usage says “a myriad of” is fine even though it’s less efficient than “myriad.” Language is about more than efficiency, after all! ‘A Myriad of’ or Just ‘Myriad?Īnother hot debate is whether it is correct to say, “Disneyland has myriad delights” or “Disneyland has a myriad of delights.” You commonly hear “a myriad of” and just as commonly hear people railing that it should be simply “myriad” because the word is an adjective and essentially equivalent to a number. Today, it means “a whole bunch,” “an uncountable multitude,” or “something with an innumerable variety” so it’s hard to argue that “myriad” is a good way to describe three or four songs. “Various,” “a few,” or “many” would probably be better choices. Second, the word has long since come to have a meaning beyond specifically 10,000.
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