мочь

Russian

Pronunciation

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• Rhymes: -ot͡ɕ

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *moťi, from Proto-Indo-European *megʰ-, whence English might. Cognate to Ancient Greek μῆχος (mêkhos, “means, remedy”) and Proto-Germanic *maganą (“to be able, may”).

Verb

мочь • (močʹ) impf (perfective смочь)

1. (intransitive) can, be able to
   • 1999, Земфи́ра Рамазанова [Zemfira Ramazanova], Синоптик [Sinoptik]:

     Е́сли не мо́жешь бо́гом быть ты, бу́ду я.

     Jésli ne móžešʹ bógom bytʹ ty, búdu ja.

     If you can't be a god, I will.

2. may

   мо́жет быть ― móžet bytʹ ― maybe

Conjugation

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *moťь, from Proto-Indo-European *mógʰtis, *megʰ- (“to allow, be able, help”). Cognate to Proto-Germanic *mahtiz and its descendants like English might.

Doublet of мощь (moščʹ), a borrowing from Old Church Slavonic.

Noun

мочь • (močʹ) f inan (genitive мо́чи, nominative plural мо́чи, genitive plural мо́чей)

1. power, might

   Synonyms: си́ла (síla), мощь (moščʹ)

   • 1979, Yuri Entin (lyrics and music), “Человек я простой”, performed by Mikhail Boyarsky:

     И теперь дня прожить без тебя мне не в мочь,
     Это-ж надо, влюбился в царскую дочь!

     I teperʹ dnja prožitʹ bez tebja mne ne v močʹ,
     Eto-ž nado, vljubilsja v carskuju dočʹ!

     And now to live one day without you I cannot
     I just had to fall in love with a king's daughter!

     (literally, “And now to live one day without you isn't in my power.
     It just had to , fell in love with a king's daughter!”)

Declension

Related terms

• мо́щный (móščnyj)