Where does “måtte” come from?
måtte (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from Danish måtte, from Middle Low German matte, from Latin matta, from Latin mattus, from Latin maditus, from Latin madere, from Latin madeō, from Proto-Indo-European meh₂d- — to be wet, to become wet; to meet, approach,...
måtte (Norwegian Bokmål): must; may
Definitions
- must; may
Ancestry of “måtte”, step by step
måtte traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Danish måtte
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danish | måtte | mat; must, have to, got to; can, may |
| 2 | Middle Low German | matte | — |
| 3 | Latin | matta | nominative feminine singular of mattus;... |
| 4 | Latin | mattus | drunk, intoxicated |
| 5 | Latin | maditus | — |
| 6 | Latin | madere | present active infinitive of madeō; to be wet; be... |
| 7 | Latin | madeō | to be wet or moist |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | meh₂d- | to be wet, to become wet; to meet, approach,... |
via Norwegian Bokmål matt
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norwegian Bokmål | matt | dull, matt; weak, feeble, listless; checkmated |
| 2 | French | mât | mast; flagstaff |
| 3 | Middle French | mast | mast structure found on watercraft |
| 4 | Old French | mast | mast structure found on watercraft |
| 5 | Latin | mastus | ship mast |
| 6 | Frankish | mast | ship mast; mast |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | mastaz | rod, pole, perch; bar, plank; mast |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | mazdos | pole, mast; plank, board, flooring; perch, pole,... |
via Norwegian Nynorsk måtte
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norwegian Nynorsk | måtte | Alternative form of måtta |