Where does “möglichst” come from?
möglichst (German) comes from German möglich, from German mögen, from Middle High German mugen, from Old High German mugan, from Proto-West Germanic magan, from Proto-Germanic maganą, from Proto-Indo-European (me)mógʰe, from Proto-Indo-European megʰ- — to be able.
möglichst (German): as much as possible; preferably
Definitions
- as much as possible; preferably
Ancestry of “möglichst”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | möglich | possible; potential; likely; a whole bunch of; a... |
| 2 | German | mögen | to like; to want to go; may |
| 3 | Middle High German | mugen | — |
| 4 | Old High German | mugan | can, be able, must, shall, may |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | magan | to be able, may |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | maganą | to be able, may |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (me)mógʰe | to have power, to be able to |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | megʰ- | to be able |