喜樂美語

You can picture might as a door standing slightly open: it's possible to go through, but nothing forces it — it may happen, it may not. The modal might leaves that door open ('it might rain'), and from there comes gentle suggesting, very polite asking, and a whole set of careful, phrases. The noun might ('great power') reaches back to the very old meaning behind all this: to 'be able', to have the strength that makes a thing possible.

可以把 might 想成一扇半開的門:能走過去,但沒有什麼逼你一定要走——可能發生,也可能不發生。情態的 might 就是讓那扇門半開著(it might rain),由此再延伸出委婉的建議、很有禮貌的請求,以及一整套客氣、放軟語氣的說法。名詞的 might(強大的力量)則回到這一切背後最古老的意思:「能夠」、擁有讓事情成為可能的那股力量。

From the word’s history

Both the modal might and the noun might trace to the same Germanic root *mag- 'to be able, have power' (the source of 'may'). The modal is historically the past form of 'may'; the noun is the abstract 'the quality of being able' — the power that makes a thing possible. So 'possibility' and 'strength' are two faces of one old idea: being able.

情態的 might 和名詞的 might 都來自同一個日耳曼字根 *mag-「能夠、擁有力量」(也是 may 的來源)。情態的 might 在歷史上是 may 的過去式;名詞的 might 則是把「能夠」抽象成一種特質——那股讓事情成為可能的力量。所以「可能」和「力量」其實是同一個古老想法的兩面:有能力做到。

etymonline.com/word/might; Wiktionary 'might'

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同家族的字

意思相近

maycouldcould havestrengthmay want toalthoughpowerpossiblymay Ieven ifforceso as to+2

意思相反

weakness

原始詞典資料11 筆記錄

以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，摘錄並精簡格式，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。

mightnoun詞源 1/maɪt/

  • 1

    Power, strength, force, or influence held by a person or group.

    • […]ſtrengthed with all myght, thꝛough his gloꝛious power, unto all pacience and long ſufferyng with ioifulneſſe[…]
    • This is the richest, the most powerful country which ever occupied this globe. The might of past empires is little compared to ours. But I do not want to be the president who built empires or sought grandeur or extended dominion. I want to be the president who educated young children to the wonders of their world.
  • 2

    Physical strength or force.

    • He pushed with all his might, but still it would not move.
  • 3

    The ability to do something.

mightadj詞源 1/maɪt/

  • 1

    obsoleteMighty; powerful.

  • 2

    obsoletePossible.

mightverb詞源 2/maɪt/

  • 1

    simple past of may

    • You might have warned me about the thunderstorm.
  • 2

    Used to indicate conditional or possible actions; would perhaps/maybe.

    • Well, I might go to a party, but I haven't decided yet.
    • The characterism of an honest man: He looks not to what he might do, but what he should.
  • 3

    Used concessively to admit something before making a more accurate or important statement; although

    • I might be in a wheelchair, but I still want to be treated as a lady.
    • I might play football, but I do know how to read.
  • 4

    archaicUsed in polite requests for permission.

    • "Might I take the last biscuit? I wonder if I might have a little more coffee too." "Yes you may, help yourself.".
  • 5

    Used to express certainty.

    • Yeah, I think we might need something a bit sturdier.

這個拼法也被記錄為下列字的變化形：

摘錄自 英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary，已精簡格式；依 CC BY-SA 4.0 授權使用，改動後的內容同樣以此授權提供。