[amount] vi [ME, fr. MF amonter, fr. amont upward, fr. a- (fr. L ad-) + mont mountain--more at mount] (14c) 1 a: to be equivalent "acts that ~ to treason" b: to reach in kind or quality "wants her son to ~ to something" "doesn't ~ to much"
2: to reach a total: add up "the bill ~s to $10"
[2]amount n (1710) 1 a: the total number or quantity: aggregate b: the quantity at hand or under consideration "has an enormous ~ of energy"
2: the whole effect, significance, or import
3: a principal sum and the interest on it usage Number is regularly used with count nouns "a large number of mistakes" "any number of times" while amount is mainly used with mass nouns "annual amount of rainfall" "a substantial amount of money". The use of amount with count nouns has been frequently criticized; it usu. occurs when the number of things is thought of as a mass or collection "glad to furnish any amount of black pebbles --New Yorker" "a substantial amount of film offers --Lily Tomlin" or when money is involved "a substantial amount of loans --E. R. Black".