Etymograph

English

must

Must comes from Middle English moste, from Old English mōste ‘had to’, past of mōtan ‘to be allowed; must’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *med- ‘to measure’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*med-‘to measure’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*mōtaną‘to be allowed, may’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*mōtanreconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150mōtan‘to be allowed, may; must’
  5. Old English, derivedc. 450–1150mōste‘had to’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500moste‘must, had to’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1611must

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*med-‘to measure’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*mōtaną‘to be allowed, may’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*mōtanreconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150mōtan‘to be allowed, may; must’
  5. Old English, derivedc. 450–1150mōste‘had to’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500moste‘must, had to’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1611must

Earliest quotation: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “Arise, and go into the city, and it shall…”

The story

From Middle English moste ("must", literally, "had to", the past tense of Middle English moten (‘to have to’)), from Old English mōste (‘had to’), 1st & 3rd person singular past tense of mōtan (‘to be allowed, be able to, have the opportunity to, be compelled to, must, may’), from Proto-Germanic *mōtaną.

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *med- ‘to measure’

medical, model, modern, medicine, mode, mood, medication, meditation, module, med, remedy, modification, mold, mud, medicinal, mould, blackmail, medic, modulation, meditate, modal, modulate, modicum, modus, modulus, mete, modulo, modifiable, 31 more

through Proto-Germanic *mōtaną ‘to be allowed, to be permitted to, may’

mail, 1 more

through Old English mōtan ‘to be allowed, be able to, have the…’

mote, 1 more

Another origin of must

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mus-‘damp’uncertain
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmuscus‘moss’uncertain
  3. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmustus‘newborn, new, fresh, perhaps lit. 'wet'’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmustum
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150must
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
  7. Englishtodaysame form

Today it means

verb To do as a requirement; indicates that the sentence subject is required as an imperative or directive to execute the sentence predicate, with failure to do so resulting in a failure or negative consequence.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *med- / must

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