Where does “må” come from?

må (Norwegian Nynorsk) comes from Old Norse má, from Old Norse mega, from Proto-Germanic maganą, from Proto-Indo-European (me)mógʰe, from Proto-Indo-European megʰ- — to be able.

må (Norwegian Nynorsk): present tense of måtta "and" måtte; to wield;...

Definitions

  1. present tense of måtta "and" måtte; to wield;...

Ancestry of “må”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsemá—
2Old Norsemegamust, may; to be able to
3Proto-Germanicmaganąto be able, may
4Proto-Indo-European(me)mógʰeto have power, to be able to
5Proto-Indo-Europeanmegʰ-to be able
Every word from Proto-Indo-European megʰ- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European (me)mógʰe →Every word from Proto-Germanic maganą →