Where does “mighte” come from?
mighte (Middle English) comes from Old English mihte, from Old English magan, from Proto-West Germanic magan, from Proto-Germanic maganą, from Proto-Indo-European (me)mógʰe, from Proto-Indo-European megʰ- — to be able.
Ancestry of “mighte”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | mihte | first/third-person singular preterite of magan;... |
| 2 | Old English | magan | can, to be able; can , to be able; avail, prevail |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | magan | to be able, may |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | maganą | to be able, may |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (me)mógʰe | to have power, to be able to |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | megʰ- | to be able |