moeten

Forms

moeten (past tense moest)^[2] Middle Dutch had a past tense most beside moeste.^[3][4] The form most lived on in popular speech but was avoided in careful language.^[3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch moeten, inherited from Old Dutch muotan, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *mōtan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *mōtaną.^[2][1] The EWN gives the Proto-Germanic sense as “to be able, to have the opportunity”.^[2] The same word is Old Saxon mōtan, Old High German muozan (modern German müssen), Old Frisian mōta (modern West Frisian moatte), Old English mōtan (“must, may”) and Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌼𐍉𐍄𐌰𐌽 (gamōtan, “to find room”).^[2][5][6] The English must continues the Old English past tense, which first meant “should have to” and now means “must”.^[2][6]

The verb is a preterite-present: in origin a strong verb of the sixth class whose past forms came to be used as a present.^[2][7] A new infinitive and a new past tense ⟨*mōt-ta-⟩ were then formed beside them.^[2] That past tense regularly became ⟨*mōssa-⟩, which no longer looked like a past, so the past ⟨-t-⟩ was added again: through ⟨*mōsta-⟩ this led to Dutch ⟨moest⟩, much as in the past tense of weten.^[2]

Its further origin is unknown.^[2][8][3] The noun moete (“leisure, time between work”), with mōta and muoza, points to an old sense “to have freedom, room or the occasion”.^[6][9] De Vries found a link with Proto-Indo-European *med- (“to measure”) possible only through a strained development of meaning, unless both verbs come from the language of wickerwork, as Jost Trier proposed.^[9] Kroonen derives the verb from a root Proto-Indo-European *mod-, which he finds in Old Armenian մատչիմ (matčʻim, “to approach, come close”).^[5] Wiktionary takes it as a secondary perfect of the root meaning “to measure”.^[1] The EWN sees probably no connection with ontmoeten.^[2][1] Franck and Van Wijk thought that link could be neither proved nor disproved.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The verb first appears in the Old Dutch Willeram of about 1100, meaning “to be able”: thaz wir thich anasihen muozen “so that we may look at you”.^[2][7] The sense “to be forced” follows in the Reimbibel of 1151–1200: thes most er the tiefere uallen “therefore he had to fall the deeper”.^[2][7]

Semantic evolution

In Middle Dutch the verb meant both “to be obliged, to be compelled” and “may, to be allowed”.^[2][10] With a negation it expressed a prohibition, as in a Ghent rule of 1236 that nobody “may” tell outsiders what was said in the chapter.^[10][2] It also served to express a wish, as in Onse here moete met u wesen “may our Lord be with you”.^[4] The meanings of moeten, durven, kunnen and mogen lie close together and have often run into one another.^[2]

The sense “may” was common in Middle Dutch but has become obsolete in modern Dutch, though the WNT still found it in the south.^[2][3] The use for a wish died out too.^[3] The present main sense “to be obliged” is already found in the oldest Middle Dutch records.^[2] In the south moeten with a negation long kept the sense “to need”, where the north says hoeven.^[3][11] In colloquial speech, mostly with a negation, iemand niet moeten means to dislike someone.^[3]

The verb went with Dutch overseas: Negerhollands has moet, moe and mo, Berbice Dutch mu and muti, and Sranan Tongo mu.^[12][1] Swedish måste “to have to” comes from Dutch or Low German.^[12]

Timeline

• c. 1100 – Old Dutch muozen “to be able” is recorded in the Willeram.^[2][7]
• 1151–1200 – The Reimbibel uses most in the sense “had to”.^[2][7]
• 1201–1225 – Middle Dutch moeten “to be obliged” is first recorded, in Floyris.^[13][2]
• 1236 – The rules of the Ghent leper house use the negated verb for “may not”.^[10]
• 1536 – An ordinance uses the verb for “to be allowed”: nobody “may” sell brandy in the taverns.^[3]
• 1559 – moet expresses a wish, a use now obsolete.^[3]
• 1570 – moeten appears in the sense “to need”, later mainly southern.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To have to, to be obliged to: Je moet je fiets op slot zetten.^[11][1]
2. To be necessary, to be needed: Die brief moet vandaag nog weg.^[11][1] eraan moeten: to have to die, or to have to go.^[11]
3. Should, to be supposed to: De trein moet om acht uur vertrekken.^[1]
4. To have to go somewhere: Ik moet nog naar de bakker.^[1] Informally also: to need the toilet.^[1]
5. (Belgium) With a negation or restriction: to need, to be wanted: Je moet niet komen als je geen tijd hebt.^[11][3]
6. (colloquial) With a negation: to dislike someone: Zij moet die nieuwe buurman niet.^[3]

Noun

1. (het moeten) compulsion, obligation.^[11]

Word family

• moetje

Related words

• English must
• German müssen

Usage notes

The saying moeten is dwang en huilen is kindergezang is an old answer to a child who insists that it “must” have something.^[3] In Flanders moeten was used for “to owe”, a sense De Vreese took from French devoir.^[14] In Surinamese Dutch moeten need not express compulsion, and Wat moet u? is a polite “what can I do for you?”.^[15]

Two rarer verbs share the spelling.^[3] One meant “to meet” and belongs with ontmoeten.^[3][4] The other was a sailors' word for pushing a boat or the rudder gently, recorded in 1671.^[3][16]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Philippa, Marlies; Debrabandere, Frans; Quak, Arend; Schoonheim, Tanneke; Sijs, Nicoline van der (2003–2009), Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands, 4 vols., Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press; online via etymologiebank.nl
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Vries, Matthias de; Winkel, L. A. te, et al. (1882–1998), Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal, 29 vols., 's-Gravenhage / Leiden: Nijhoff / Sijthoff / SDU; supplement 2001; gtb.ivdnt.org
4. ^ a b c Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
5. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
6. ^ a b c d Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
7. ^ a b c d e Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
8. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 252
9. ^ a b Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
10. ^ a b c Pijnenburg, W. J. J., et al. (2001), Vroegmiddelnederlands woordenboek: woordenboek van het Nederlands van de dertiende eeuw in hoofdzaak op basis van het Corpus-Gysseling, Leiden: Instituut voor Nederlandse Lexicologie; gtb.ivdnt.org
11. ^ a b c d e f Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
12. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
13. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
14. ^ Vreese, Willem de (1899), Gallicismen in het Zuidnederlandsch, Gent: Siffer
15. ^ Donselaar, J. van (1989), Woordenboek van het Surinaams-Nederlands, Muiderberg: Coutinho
16. ^ Winschoten, Wigardus à (1681), Seeman: behelsende een grondige uitlegging van de Neederlandse konst- en spreekwoorden, voor soo veel die uit de seevaart sijn ontleend, Leiden