must
/məst/
Word Rarity
Common
Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.68 in modern English
6
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
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 failure or negative consequence.
verb
To do with certainty; indicates that the speaker is certain that the subject will have executed the predicate.
noun
Something that is mandatory, required or recommended.
Example Sentences
- "You must arrive in class on time."
- "This door handle must be rotated fully."
- "Everybody told me I must stop worrying, but I couldn't, because I knew that somehow there was still something wrong about the situation."
- "You really must come and see us soon, pal. - We'll see: I can borrow my dad's car, but I must bring it back before midnight."
- "The physician said that I must / had to / would have to stop smoking."
- "Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do."
Etymology
From Middle English moste ("must", literally, "had to", the past tense of Middle English moten (“to have 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”), from Proto-Germanic *mōtaną. Cognate with Dutch moest (“had to”), German musste (“had to”), Swedish måste (“must, have to, be obliged to”). More at mote.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Usage
Inflected Forms
no-table-tags (table tags)
glossary (inflection template)
- (infinitive)
mote (archaic, first person)
mote (archaic, present)
motest (archaic, present)
mote (archaic, plural)
- (imperative)
- (participle)
mus' (alternative, dialectal)
musts (plural)
musts (present, singular)