Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. To be able to; may; must

Ancestry of “moun”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishmowenTo be strong or powerful; To be able to; to have...
2Middle English-enDenotes the past participle form when attached to...
3Old English-enmæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;...
4Old Norse-innUsed to create adjectives from nouns, meaning...
5Proto-Norse-īna-—
6Proto-Germanic-īnaz-en
7Proto-Indo-European-iHnosCreates adjectives of materials
8Proto-Indo-European-no-adjectival suffix
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -no- →