Where does “might” come from?
might (Middle English) comes from Old English miht, from Old English mieht, from Old English meaht, from Old English maht, from Germanic *mahti, from Proto-Germanic mahtiz, from Proto-Germanic mahtuz, from Proto-Indo-European mógʰtis — to be able.
Ancestry of “might”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | miht | power, ability; strength, power |
| 2 | Old English | mieht | — |
| 3 | Old English | meaht | Alternative form of miht; second-person singular... |
| 4 | Old English | maht | — |
| 5 | Germanic | *mahti | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | mahtiz | power, ability; strength, force |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | mahtuz | might, power |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | mógʰtis | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | meǵʰ- | to be able |