Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “almighty” come from?

Almighty comes from Middle English almyghty, from Old English ælmihtiġ, from Proto-Germanic alamahtīgaz, combining Proto-Germanic mahtīgaz with the suffix -gaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European magʰ- meaning to be able or have power.

almighty (English): Unlimited in might; omnipotent; all-powerful;...

Definitions

  1. Unlimited in might; omnipotent; all-powerful;...

Ancestry of “almighty”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishalmyghtyalmighty
2Old Englishælmihtigall-powerful
3Old Englishælmihtiġall-powerful
4Proto-Germanicalamahtīgazalmighty
5Proto-Germanicmahtīgazmighty
6Proto-Germanicmahtizpower, ability; strength, force
7Proto-Germanicmahtuzmight, power
8Proto-Indo-Europeanmógʰtis—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanmeǵʰ-—

Words derived from “almighty”

  • almightiness
  • almightily
  • superalmighty
  • almightiful
  • almightyship
  • Christ almighty
  • almyghty
Every word from Proto-Indo-European meǵʰ- →