“a life”

[1364]

Dear all;
I wanna know if “a life” has a speciall meaning or it’s just because of the grammar structure ( I mean maybe after many it change in this way)?

“The loom had probably saved many a life.”

Best wishes

[DBP]

Originally Posted by 1364

Dear all;
I wanna know if “a life” has a speciall meaning or it’s just because of the grammar structure ( I mean maybe after many it change in this way)?

“The loom had probably saved many a life.”

Best wishes

This is just one way we say this in English. It means the same as, "many lives". It's a bit more literary than the usual 'many lives'.

[Curious Cat]

Yeah, I also remember something like " travelled many a day" since the university
It's a poetic and archaic form of the pharse I suppose.
I cannot say exactly but I think it can be also considered an example of the literary device called "metonymy" when a part of the whole is used to denote the whole.

[Francois]

Many a man fears death.

FRC