moten
Middle English
Etymology 1
Inherited from Old English mōtan, from Proto-West Germanic *mōtan, from Proto-Germanic *mōtaną.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈmoːtən/
Verb
moten (auxiliary)
- To have or need to; must.
- c. 1390, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Knight's Tale”, in Canterbury Tales, lines 875–877, 885:
- And ceꝛtes, if it neꝛe too long to heeꝛe, / I wold have told you fully the manneꝛe / How wonnen was the regne of Femenye / By Theſeus and by his chivalrye, […] / But all that thing I mot as now foꝛbeꝛe.
- And certainly, if it weren't too long to hear / I would have told you the manner / How the realm of Femeny was won / By Theseus and by his chivalry, […] / But I must leave all that alone for now.
- To feel strongly obliged to; should (really).
- To be able to; might, can.
- To be permitted to; may, can.
- To be about to or going to; will, shall.
Usage notes
As in Modern English, what are historically the past forms of this verb are frequently used with present or even future semantics; see the conjugation table.
Conjugation
Conjugation of moten (preterite-present, defective)
1Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.
References
- “mọ̄ten, v.2”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-10-24.
Etymology 2
From Old English mōtian (“to speak, converse, discuss”), from Proto-West Germanic *mōtijan (“to meet, encounter”), from Proto-Germanic *mōtijaną, a denominative of *mōtą (“meeting”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈmoːtən/
Conjugation
Conjugation of moten (weak in -ed)
infinitive | (to) moten, mote | ||
---|---|---|---|
present tense | past tense | ||
1st-person singular | mote | moted | |
2nd-person singular | motest | motedest | |
3rd-person singular | moteth | moted | |
subjunctive singular | mote | ||
imperative singular | — | ||
plural1 | moten, mote | moteden, motede | |
imperative plural | moteth, mote | — | |
participles | motynge, motende | moted, ymoted |
1Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.
References
- “mọ̄ten, v.3”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
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