motan

See also: Motan, motán, and mōtan

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *mōtan, from Proto-Germanic *mōtaną.

Cognate with Old Saxon mōtan, Old High German muozan (German müssen), Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌼𐍉𐍄𐌰𐌽 (gamōtan).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmoː.tɑn/

Verb

mōtan

1. can (to be allowed)
   • late 9th century, translation of Orosius’ History Against the Pagans

     Rōmāne hæfdon þā nīewlīċe ġesett þæt þā þe hætt beran mōston, þonne hīe hwelċ folc oferwunnen hæfdon, þæt þā mōston ǣġðer habban ġe feorh ġe frēodōm.

     The Romans had recently passed a law that whenever they conquered a people, anyone who was allowed to wear a hat could keep both their life and their freedom.

   • late 9th century, translation of Orosius' History Against the Pagans

     Be þām hringum man meahte witan hwæt Rōmāna duguþe ġefeallen wæs, for þon þe hit wæs þēaw mid him on þām dagum þæt nān ōðer ne mōste gyldenne hring werian būtan hē æðeles cynnes wǣre.

     You could tell by the rings how much of the Roman nobility had fallen, because the custom back then was that no one could wear a gold ring unless they were from a noble family.

   • late 9th century, translation of Bede's Ecclesiastical History:

     “Mīn fæder, mōt iċ þē āwihtes āscian?” Cwæþ hē, “Āsca þæs þe þū wille.”

     “My father, can I ask you something?”
     He said, “Ask whatever you want.”

2. (rare) must

Conjugation

infinitive	mōtan	—
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	mōt	mōste
second person singular	mōst	mōstest
third person singular	mōt	mōste
plural	mōton	mōston
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	mōte	mōste
plural	mōten	mōsten
imperative
singular	—
plural	—
participle	present	past
	—	—

Conjugation of mōtan (preterite-present)

Descendants

• Middle English: moten
  • Scots: mote, mot, moit
  • English: mote
• ⇒ Old English: mōste (preterite)
  • Middle English: moste
    • Scots: moste, most, moist
    • English: must

Old Saxon

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *mōtan.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmoːtɑn/

Verb

mōtan

1. to may, to be able to

   gern uuas he suīðo that he it thurh ferhtan hugi frummean mōsti

   He was really willing that he may accomplish it with wise thoughts

   (Heliand, verse 93)

2. to must, to be allowed to

   than mōtun gi thea fruma ēgan

   Then you have to possess the profit

   (Heliand, verse 1460)

Conjugation

infinitive	mōtan
indicative	present	past
1st person singular	mōt	mōsta
2nd person singular	mōst	mōstes
3rd person singular	mōt	mōsta
plural	mōtun	mōstun
subjunctive	present	past
1st person singular	mōti	mōsti
2nd person singular	mōtis	mōstis
3rd person singular	mōti	mōsti
plural	mōtin	mōstin
imperative	present
singular	—
plural	—
participle	present	past
	mōtandi	gimōtan, mōtan

Conjugation of mōtan (preterite-present)

Descendants

• Middle Low German: môten, moste (past)
  • German Low German: möten
  • → Old Swedish: most (late)
    • Swedish: måste

Romanian

Etymology

Unknown. Probably from motoc, possibly influenced by mâțan. See cotoi.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /moˈtan/

Noun

motan m (plural motani)

1. tomcat
2. (epithet given to) a person who is uncommunicative, secretive, hypocritical.

Declension

Declension of motan

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	motan	motanul		motani	motanii
genitive-dative	motan	motanului		motani	motanilor
vocative	motanule			motanilor

See also

• cotoi
• mâț
• mâță
• mâțan
• mâțoi
• motoc
• pisică
• pisoi

Further reading

• “motan”, in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language) (in Romanian), 2004–2025