Where does “moun” come from?
Moun comes from Middle English mowen, from Old English magan meaning "to be able," from Proto-Germanic mēaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European megʰ-.
moun (English): To be able to; may; must
Definitions
- To be able to; may; must
Ancestry of “moun”, step by step
moun traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English mowen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | mowen | To be strong or powerful; To be able to; to have... |
| 2 | Middle English | -en | Denotes the past participle form when attached to... |
| 3 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 4 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 5 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |
via Middle English mown
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | mown | — |
| 2 | Old English | magon | present plural of magan |
| 3 | Old English | magan | can, to be able |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | magan | to be able, may |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | maganą | to be able, may |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (me)mógʰe | to have power, to be able to |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | megʰ- | to be able |