Where does “must-see” come from?

must-see (English) comes from English must, from Old English mōste, from Old English mōtan, from Proto-West Germanic *mōtan, from Proto-Germanic mōtaną, from Proto-Indo-European mōd-, from Proto-Indo-European med- — to measure; to give advice; healing.

must-see (English): unmissably good; anything unmissably good, such...

Definitions

  1. unmissably good; anything unmissably good, such...

Ancestry of “must-see”, step by step

must-see traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English must

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmustTo do with certainty; To do as a requirement;...
2Old Englishmōstehad to
3Old Englishmōtanto be allowed, be able to, have the opportunity...
4Proto-West Germanic*mōtanto be allowed, to be permitted to, may
5Proto-Germanicmōtanąto be allowed, to be permitted to, may
6Proto-Indo-Europeanmōd-to permit, make able
7Proto-Indo-Europeanmed-to measure; to give advice; healing

via English see

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishseeTo perceive or detect someone or something with...
2Middle Englishseento see
3Old Englishsēonto be; to filter; to see, look, behold, perceive,...
4Proto-West Germanicsehwanto see
5Proto-Germanicsehwanąto see
6Proto-Indo-Europeansekʷ-to follow; to see; to say
Every word from Proto-Indo-European med-Every word from Proto-Indo-European mōd-Every word from Proto-Germanic mōtaną
must-see — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer