måtte

Danish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɔtə/,

Etymology 1

Borrowed via Middle Low German matte from Medieval Latin matta, of Semitic origin. Also borrowed to English mat and German Matte.

Noun

måtte c (singular definite måtten, plural indefinite måtter)

1. mat

Declension

Descendants

• → Faroese: motta
• → Icelandic: motta

References

• “måtte,1” in Den Danske Ordbog

Etymology 2

From Old Norse mega (“must, may”), from Proto-Germanic *maganą, cognate with English may, German mögen. The original infinitive was lost and replaced by the past tense (in analogy with the verbs kunne (“could”), skulle (“should”), and ville (“would”), in which the infinitive and the past tense have become homophonous).

Verb

måtte (present må, past måtte, past participle måttet)

1. must, have to, got to (duty or certainty)
2. can, may (allowance)
3. may (wish)
4. may (possibility)

Conjugation

References

• “måtte,2” in Den Danske Ordbog

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse mátta, Old Norse mega.

Verb

måtte (present tense må, simple past måtte, past participle måttet)

1. must
2. may (subjunctive present defective)

References

• “måtte” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²mɔtːə/

Verb

måtte (present tense må, past tense måtte, past participle mått or måtta)

1. Alternative form of måtta

Swedish

Verb

måtte

1. past indicative of må