must

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[edit] English

[edit] Pronunciation

[edit] Etymology 1

From Middle English moste (must, literally had to), from Old English mōste (had to), 1st & 3rd person singular past tense of mōtan (to be allowed, be able to, have the opportunity to, be compelled to, must, may). Cognate with Dutch moest (had to), German musste (had to), Swedish måste (must, have to, be obliged to). More at mote.

[edit] Verb

must

  1. (modal auxiliary, defective) to do with certainty; indicates that the speaker is certain that the subject will have executed the predicate
    If it rained all day, it must be very wet outside.
    You picked one of two, and it wasn't the first: it must have been the second.
  2. (modal auxiliary, defective) to do as a requirement; indicates that the sentence subject is required as an imperative or directive to execute the sentence predicate, with failure to do so resulting in a negative consequence
    You must arrive in class on time. — the requirement is an imperative
    This door handle must be rotated fully. — the requirement is a directive
[edit] Usage notes
  • (auxiliary, to do with certainty): Compare with weaker auxiliary verb should, indicating a strong probability of the predicate's execution.
  • (auxiliary, to do as a requirement): Compare with weaker auxiliary verb should, indicating mere intent for the predicate's execution; and stronger auxiliary verb will, indicating that the negative consequence will be unusually severe.
  • Must is not used to indicate obligation in the past. As indicated above, the usual form is had to. It is possible to use be bound to for the past also. For this reason, have to and be bound to are also used as alternatives to must in the present and future.
  • The principal verb, if easy supplied by the mind, was formerly often omitted when must was used, e. g.
    • 1936, Alfred Edward Housman, More Poems, IX, lines 3-6
      Forth I wander, forth I must,
      And drink of life again.
      Forth I must by hedgerow bowers
      To look at the leaves uncurled,
[edit] See also
[edit] Translations

[edit] Noun

must (plural musts)

  1. Something that is mandatory or required
    If you'll be out all day, sunscreen is a must.
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[edit] Antonyms
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[edit] Etymology 2

Old French must, most, from Latin mustum

[edit] Noun

must (plural musts)

  1. Something that exhibits the property of being stale or musty
  2. Fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually grapes
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[edit] Etymology 3

Persian مست (mast, drunk, inebriated).

[edit] Noun

must

  1. A time during which male elephants exhibit increased levels of sexual activity and aggressiveness (also musth)
    • 1936, George Orwell, Shooting an Elephant essay in magazine New Writing
      It was not, of course, a wild elephant, but a tame one which had gone ‘must’.

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[edit] Anagrams


[edit] Akkala Sami

[edit] Pronoun

muśtˑ

  1. in me (first-person singular pronoun, locative)

[edit] Estonian

[edit] Adjective

must (genitive musta, partitive musta)

  1. black (color)
  2. dirty, unclean

[edit] Declension

This Estonian entry needs a declension template

[edit] Derived terms


[edit] Hungarian

[edit] Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈmuʃt/
  • Hyphenation: must

[edit] Noun

must (plural mustok)

  1. must (sweet fresh grape juice that has not fermented yet)

[edit] Declension


[edit] Romanian

[edit] Etymology

From Latin mustum.

[edit] Noun

must n. (plural musturi)

  1. unfermented wine; grape or other fruit juice
  2. must (of grapes)

[edit] Declension

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[edit] Swedish

[edit] Etymology

Old Norse muster, moster, from Latin mustum.

[edit] Pronunciation

[edit] Noun

must c. (uncountable)

  1. A kind of soft drink, more commonly known as julmust
  2. Unfermented fruit juice

[edit] Declension

[edit] See also


[edit] Veps

[edit] Adjective

must

  1. black

[edit] Noun

must

  1. black
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