moten

See also: Moten and möten

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • Audio:(file)

Noun

moten

  1. plural of moot

Middle English

Etymology 1

    Inherited from Old English mōtan, from Proto-West Germanic *mōtan, from Proto-Germanic *mōtaną.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /ˈmoːtən/

    Verb

    moten (auxiliary)

    1. To have or need to; must.
      • c. 1390, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Knight's Tale”, in Canterbury Tales, lines 875–877, 885:
        And ceꝛtes, if it neꝛe too long to heeꝛe, / I wold have told you fully the manneꝛe / How wonnen was the regne of Femenye / By Theſeus and by his chivalrye, [] / But all that thing I mot as now foꝛbeꝛe.
        And certainly, if it weren't too long to hear / I would have told you the manner / How the realm of Femeny was won / By Theseus and by his chivalry, [] / But I must leave all that alone for now.
    2. To feel strongly obliged to; should (really).
    3. To be able to; might, can.
    4. To be permitted to; may, can.
    5. To be about to or going to; will, shall.
    Usage notes

    As in Modern English, what are historically the past forms of this verb are frequently used with present or even future semantics; see the conjugation table.

    Conjugation
    Conjugation of moten (preterite-present, defective)
    infinitive
    present tense past tense
    1st-person singular mot, moste moste
    2nd-person singular most mostest
    3rd-person singular mot, moste moste
    subjunctive singular mote, moste
    imperative singular
    plural1 moten, mote, mosten, moste mosten, moste
    imperative plural
    participles

    1 Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

    Descendants
    • English: mote; must
    • Scots: mote, mat; most
    • Yola: mosth
    References

    Etymology 2

      From Old English mōtian (to speak, converse, discuss), from Proto-West Germanic *mōtijan (to meet, encounter), from Proto-Germanic *mōtijaną, a denominative of *mōtą (meeting).

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): /ˈmoːtən/

      Verb

      moten

      1. to speak, talk, say
      Conjugation
      Conjugation of moten (weak in -ed)
      infinitive (to) moten, mote
      present tense past tense
      1st-person singular mote moted
      2nd-person singular motest motedest
      3rd-person singular moteth moted
      subjunctive singular mote
      imperative singular
      plural1 moten, mote moteden, motede
      imperative plural moteth, mote
      participles motynge, motende moted, ymoted

      1 Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

      Descendants
      References

      Etymology 3

      Noun

      moten

      1. alternative form of motoun

      Norwegian Bokmål

      Noun

      moten m

      1. definite singular of mote

      Norwegian Nynorsk

      Noun

      moten m

      1. definite singular of mote

      Old English

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): /ˈmoː.ten/

      Verb

      mōten

      1. plural present subjunctive of mōtan

      Swedish

      Noun

      moten

      1. definite plural of mot