müssen German · revision 35394

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=8th century, Old High German glosses|origins=gem-pro *mōtaną}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈmʏsən/^(Wiktionary)

+ * Germany, Austria, Southern Germany, Switzerland: [ˈmʏsn̩]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''müssen''' (preterite-present, third-person singular present muss, past tense musste, past participle gemusst, past subjunctive müsste, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+ Middle High German had ''muoz'', plural ''müezen'', past ''muoste'' and ''muose''; the standard language later shortened the stem vowel.^(DWB|12, 2748)^(Paul 2002) Spellings with the old diphthong were still written in the south in the 17th century, and Bavarian ''muass'' “must” keeps it today.^(DWB|12, 2748)^(Wiktionary) The participle is ''gemusst'', occasionally ''gemüßt'' (Hauff).^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|müezen]], [[inh|goh|muozan]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*mōtan]], [[inh|gem-pro|*mōtaną]], a preterite-present verb whose present tense continues an old past.^(Kluge 2011|642)^(EWA)^(Wiktionary) The form [[gem-pro|*mōt]] meant roughly “I can, I find the opportunity”.^(Kluge 2011|642) The same verb is [[osx|mōtan]], [[ofs|mōta]], [[ang|mōtan]] and [[dum|moeten]], with the present singular [[m|ang|mōt]].^(Kluge 2011|642)^(Kroonen 2013)^(EWA) [[nl|moeten]] and [[en|must]] continue it; the English word comes from the old past tense, which now has present meaning.^(Kluge 2011|642)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ Kluge calls its origin unclear.^(Kluge 2011|642) Duden, Paul and Orel connect it by ablaut with [[messen|alt=messen]] “to measure”, the sense being “to have something measured out to oneself: time, room, the occasion to do something”, and the Grimms' dictionary also starts from the allotting of a space.^(Duden 7 2014)^(Paul 2002)^(Orel 2003)^(DWB|12, 2748) Kroonen instead derives it from a root [[ine-pro|*mod-]] “to approach”, and Wiktionary gives both a perfect of [[ine-pro|*med-|t=to measure, take care of]] and a link with [[gem-pro|*mōtą|t=meeting]].^(Kroonen 2013)^(Wiktionary) The umlaut of modern ⟨ü⟩ is historically unexpected.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The verb appears from the Abrogans glosses of the 8th century on, and then in Otfrid, Notker and other Old High German texts.^(EWA)^(Köbler AHD) Its Old High German senses were “to be able, to have the opportunity, to be allowed”, and only occasionally “to be obliged”: the glosses render Latin ''carēre'' “to lack” with ''ni muoz''.^(EWA)^(Schützeichel 2012|230)^(DWB|12, 2748)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Paul takes the original sense to be “to come to be in a position to do something”; as the stress fell on the circumstances bringing this about without, or against, the subject's will, the modern sense “to be compelled” emerged, which is general in positive statements already in Middle High German.^(Paul 2002) The Grimms' dictionary also places the full development of this meaning after Old High German.^(DWB|12, 2748) Its use for a logical inference (''das muß sehr wahr sein'' “that must be very true”) is a later development.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ In negative sentences the verb went another way: “circumstances do not bring it about” became “one is not allowed to”, a sense still frequent in the Luther Bible and in Lessing, and alive in northern German, where ''das musst du nicht tun'' means “you shouldn't do that”.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden GWDS 1999) German ''muss'' was borrowed into Czech as [[m|cs|muset]], and Upper Silesian Polish has the saying ''jak mus to mus'' “if one must, one must”.^(LWP)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 8th century – Old High German ''muozan'' in the Abrogans glosses.^(Kluge 2011|642)^(EWA)

+ * c. 1200 – Middle High German ''müezen'' in the ''Nibelungenlied''.^(Köbler MHD)

+ * 17th century – Southern writers still spell the stem with a diphthong.^(DWB|12, 2748)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # With an infinitive: to [[m|en|have to]], to be [[m|en|compelled]] to do something; [[m|en|must]].^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To be obliged by social norms or an inner duty: ''ich muss ihre Einladung annehmen'' “I have to accept her invitation”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # To be necessary as a consequence: ''der Brief muss heute noch abgeschickt werden'' “the letter has to be sent off today”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(northern Germany)'' Negated: need not, should not: ''das musst du nicht tun'' “you shouldn't do that”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # Expresses a strong [[m|en|probability]]: ''so muss es gewesen sein'' “that is how it must have been”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # In the past subjunctive, expresses what is desirable: ''Geld müsste man haben'' “if only one had money”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # Without an infinitive: to have to go somewhere or do something: ''er hat gemusst'' “he had to”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(colloquial, euphemistic)'' To need to go to the [[m|en|toilet]].^(Wiktionary)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[durchmüssen]]

+ * [[wegmüssen]]

+ * [[zurückmüssen]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Muße]]

+ * [[messen]]

+ * [[en|must]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}