might

English Online Dictionary. What means might‎? What does might mean?

English

Alternative forms

• mite (eye dialect, informal)

Pronunciation

• enPR: mīt, IPA^(key): /maɪt/
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): [maɪt]
  • (US) IPA^(key): [mɐɪt]
  • (Standard Southern British) IPA^(key): [mɑjt]
  • (Canada) IPA^(key): [məjt]
  • (General Australian) IPA^(key): [mɑɪt]
• Homophone: mite
• Rhymes: -aɪt

Etymology 1

From Middle English myght, might (also maught, macht, maht), from Old English miht, mieht, meaht, mæht (“might, bodily strength, power, authority, ability, virtue, mighty work, miracle, angel”), from Proto-West Germanic *mahti, from Proto-Germanic *mahtiz, *mahtuz (“might, power”), from Proto-Indo-European *mógʰtis, *megʰ- (“to allow, be able, help”), corresponding to Germanic *maganą + *-þiz. Equivalent to may +‎ -th.

Cognate with Scots micht, maucht (“might”), North Frisian macht (“might, ability”), West Frisian macht (“might, ability”), Dutch macht (“might, power”), German Macht (“power, might”), Swedish makt (“might”), Norwegian makt (“power”), Icelandic máttur (“might”), Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌷𐍄𐍃 (mahts), and further to Russian мочь (močʹ, “power, might”) and мощь (moščʹ, “force, strength”), Ukrainian міч (mič) and міць (micʹ, “power”), Bulgarian мощ (mošt, “power, might”), Serbo-Croatian moć (“power”), Czech moc (“power”), Polish moc (“power”). See more at may.

Noun

might (countable and uncountable, plural mights)

1. (countable, uncountable) Power, strength, force, or influence held by a person or group.

   Synonyms: authority, potency; see also Thesaurus:power
2. (uncountable) Physical strength or force.

   Synonyms: brawn, fortitude, pith

3. (uncountable) The ability to do something.

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

might (comparative mighter, superlative mightest)

1. (obsolete) Mighty; powerful.
2. (obsolete) Possible.

Etymology 2

From Old English meahte and mihte, inflections of magan, whence English may.

Alternative forms

• med (dialect)

Verb

might (third-person singular simple present might, no present participle, simple past might, no past participle)

1. (auxiliary) simple past of may
   1. Used to indicate a desired past action that was not done.
3. (auxiliary) Used to indicate conditional or possible actions; would perhaps/maybe.

   Synonym: may
5. (auxiliary) Used to admit something before making a more accurate or important statement.

   Synonym: may
6. (auxiliary) Used in polite requests for permission.

7. (auxiliary, UK, meiosis) Used to express certainty.

Usage notes

For many speakers, the use as the past tense of the auxiliary may, indicating permission, is obsolete: I told him he might not see her will only be interpreted as "I told him he would possibly not see her," and not as "I told him he was not allowed to see her." For the latter case, "could not" or "was/were not allowed to," "was/were forbidden to," etc., will be used instead.

Conjugation

• archaic second-person singular simple past - mightest
• nonstandard, archaic third-person singular simple past - mighteth

Alternative forms

• mought (obsolete outside US dialects)
• mout (US regional pronunciation spelling)

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• could
• Appendix:English modal verbs
• Appendix:English tag questions

References

• “might”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.