I. ə-ˈmau̇nt intransitive verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French amounter, from amount upward, from a- (from Latin ad- ) + mont mountain — more at mount
Date: 14th century
1.
a. : to be equivalent
acts that amount to treason
b. : to reach in kind or quality
wants her son to amount to something
doesn't amount to much
2. : to reach a total : add up
the bill amount s to $10
II. noun
Date: 1595
1.
a. : the total number or quantity : aggregate
b. : the quantity at hand or under consideration
has an enormous amount 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 usually 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