must

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“
We must--must, I say!--and at once Breton stood staring at Spargo for a moment as if he could not credit his own senses.

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Definitions (29)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (12)

  1. auxiliary verb To be obliged or required by morality, law, or custom: Citizens must register in order to vote.
  2. auxiliary verb To be compelled, as by a physical necessity or requirement: Plants must have oxygen in order to live.
  3. auxiliary verb Used to express a command or admonition: You must not go there alone. You simply must be careful.
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Examples (50)

  • The Norman nobles did not know Latin, they were but gradually learning English; the bulk of the lesser clergy perhaps spoke Latin, but did not know Norman; the poorer people spoke only English; the clerks who from this time began to note down the proceedings of the king's judges in Latin must often have been puzzled by dialects of English strange to him. —  Henry the Second
  • Arsene Wenger and his scouting system, looking to find the next generation of talented youth for Arsenal. (thanks to Brian for this link - which he calls a must read) —  du Nord
  • They meekly accept that they must - and I emphasise 'must' - be available to whoever cares to call them all day and every day. —  Home | Mail Online
  • Editors said that at a minimum, a new word must be used commonly for about five years before it meets dictionary standards. —  ABC News: ABCNews
  • Learning maths and science in English must be hard for most of our youngsters. —  Malaysiakini
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Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (9)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (4)

  1. Middle English moste, from Old English mōste, past tense of mōtan, to be allowed; see med- in Indo-European roots.
  2. Probably back-formation from musty.
  3. Middle English, from Old English, from Latin mustum, from neuter of mustus, new, fresh.
  4. Scottish, from Old French, variant of musc; see musk.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (5)

  1. from Middle English moste (plural mosten, moste), from Anglo-Saxon mōste (plural mōston), preterit of mōtan, present preterit mōt, may: see mote.
  2. Also formerly sometimes musto (from Italian); from Middle English must, most, from Anglo-Saxon must = Dutch most = Old High German Middle High German G. most = Icelandic Swedish must = Danish most = Old French moust, French moút = Spanish Portuguese Italian mosto, from Latin mustum, new wine, properly neuter (sc. vinum) of mustus, new, fresh, whence also ult. English moist. Hence musty, mustard.
  3. Prob. from Sanskrit matta, past participle of √ mad, be excited or in a rage.
  4. from musty, adjective
  5. from must, v.
 

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/məst/
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