From Middle English moste ("must", literally, "had to", the past tense of Middle English moten (“to have to”)), from Old English mōste (“had to”), 1st & 3rd person singular past tense of mōtan (“to be allowed, be able to, have the opportunity to, be compelled to, must, may”), from Proto-Germanic *mōtaną. Cognate with Dutch moest (“had to”), German musste (“had to”), Swedish måste (“must, have to, be obliged to”). More at mote.
Meanings
(auxiliary, defective, modal) Something that is mandatory, required or recommended.
If you're trekking all day, a map is a must.
"There are no musts in my life - I'm free, white, and twenty-one." 1932, Helen Vinson, I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang:
From Middle English moste ("must", literally, "had to", the past tense of Middle English moten (“to have to”)), from Old English mōste (“had to”), 1st & 3rd person singular past tense of mōtan (“to be allowed, be able to, have the opportunity to, be compelled to, must, may”), from Proto-Germanic *mōtaną. Cognate with Dutch moest (“had to”), German musste (“had to”), Swedish måste (“must, have to, be obliged to”). More at mote.
Meanings
(auxiliary, defective, modal, no-past-participle, no-present-participle) To do as a requirement; indicates that the sentence subject is required as an imperative or directive to execute the sentence predicate, with failure to do so resulting in a failure or negative consequence.
This door handle must be rotated fully.
Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 9:6:
The physician said that I must / had to / would have to stop smoking.
You really must come and see us soon, pal. - We'll see: I can borrow my dad's car, but I must bring it back before midnight.
You must arrive in class on time.
Everybody told me I must stop worrying, but I couldn't, because I knew that somehow there was still something wrong about the situation.
(auxiliary, defective, modal, no-past-participle, no-present-participle) To do with certainty; indicates that the speaker is certain that the subject will have executed the predicate.
If it has rained all day, it must be very wet outside.
She's being taken to the police car now , so they must be going to arrest her.
Where would you have put the keyring? You couldn’t have lost it again! - I must have, because it's nowhere to be found.
I said it must be pretty late and I really must go.
(auxiliary, defective, modal, no-past-participle, no-present-participle) Used to indicate that something is very likely, probable, or certain to be true.
fy moatte (be required to) · gsw müese (be required to) · ba тейеш (be required to) · es deber de (be required to) · it dovere (be required to) · apc لَازِم (be required to) · fr devoir (said about something that is very likely, probable, or certain to be true) · eo devi (be required to) · el πρέπει (be required to) · eo certe (said about something that is very likely, probable, or certain to be true) · hu biztosan (said about something that is very likely, probable, or certain to be true) · sh mórati (be required to) · ms mesti (be required to) · bg тря́бва (be required to) · gcr bezwen (be required to) · ja ...なくちゃ (be required to) · pl musieć (said about something that is very likely, probable, or certain to be true) · hi चाहिए (be required to) · ko -을 것이다 (said about something that is very likely, probable, or certain to be true) · af moet (be required to) · tl dapat (be required to) · ru должно́ быть (said about something that is very likely, probable, or certain to be true) · hsb dyrbjeć (be required to) · ru до́лжен (be required to) · is verða (be required to) · ar وَجَبَ (be required to) · ur چاہئے (be required to) · la debeō (be required to) · sco maun (be required to) · gl deber (be required to) · ro trebui (be required to) · ja ...なきゃ (be required to) · be паві́нен (be required to) · km ត្រូវ (be required to) · fa باید (said about something that is very likely, probable, or certain to be true) · ur پڑنا (be required to) · hi होगा (be required to) · xag 𐔱𐔴𐕘𐔰 (be required to) · la obligor (be required to) · it dovere (said about something that is very likely, probable, or certain to be true) · uk пови́нний (be required to) · nap avé a (be required to) · yi מוזן (be required to) · cs muset (be required to) · sw lazima (be required to) · rm stuer (be required to) · ar يَلْزَم (be required to) · frr mut (be required to) · be паві́нны (be required to) · vi phải (be required to) · ko -겠- (said about something that is very likely, probable, or certain to be true) · es deber de (said about something that is very likely, probable, or certain to be true) · got 𐌸𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌱𐌰𐌽 (be required to) · eo evidente (said about something that is very likely, probable, or certain to be true) · cmn 必須 /必须 (be required to) · nan-hbl 應該 /应该 (be required to) · ca deure (said about something that is very likely, probable, or certain to be true) · pl musieć (be required to) · srn musu (be required to) · cmn 應該 /应该 (be required to) · es deber (be required to) · ga is éigean (be required to) · pt dever (said about something that is very likely, probable, or certain to be true) · ru должны́ (be required to) · la debere (be required to) · ko -어야 되다 (be required to) · lo ຕ້ອງ (be required to) · lld dovei (be required to) · ko -어야 하다 (be required to) · hy պետք է (be required to) · osx motan (be required to) · hu kétségtelenül (said about something that is very likely, probable, or certain to be true) · sh мо́рати (be required to) · hu muszáj (be required to) · fi täytyä (be required to) · ta வேண்டும் (said about something that is very likely, probable, or certain to be true) · hu minden bizonnyal (said about something that is very likely, probable, or certain to be true) · rm stuvair (be required to) · tr lazım olmak (be required to) · be паві́нна (be required to) · my ရ (be required to) · ga bí ar (be required to) · hu biztos (said about something that is very likely, probable, or certain to be true) · fr devoir (be required to) · fur dovê (be required to) · hsb musyć (be required to) · tr -meli (be required to) · frr mötj (be required to) · ca deure (be required to) · ur ہو گا (be required to) · uk пови́нен (be required to) · sk musieť (be required to) · hu kétségkívül (said about something that is very likely, probable, or certain to be true) · to pau (be required to) · mk мо́ра (be required to) · got 𐍃𐌺𐌿𐌻𐌰𐌽 (be required to) · hu kell (be required to) · he חַיָּב (be required to) · ar لَابُدَّ (said about something that is very likely, probable, or certain to be true) · ru наве́рное (said about something that is very likely, probable, or certain to be true) · frr skel (be required to) · tr gerek olmak (be required to) · dlm dovar (be required to) · ka უნდა (be required to) · mn ёстой (be required to) · sl morati (be required to) · tr -malı (be required to) · hu bizonyára (said about something that is very likely, probable, or certain to be true) · cy gorfod (be required to) · fi täytyä (said about something that is very likely, probable, or certain to be true) · pt dever (be required to) · la futurus sum (be required to) · ru должна́ (be required to) · esu -naurte (be required to) · ga caithfidh (be required to) · th ต้อง (be required to) · ar لَا بُدَّ (be required to) · fa باید (be required to) · ang sċulan (be required to) · tpi mas (be required to) · rm stuair (be required to) · ta வேண்டும் (be required to) · ar يَتَحَتَّم (be required to) · ga ní foláir (be required to) · arz لازم (be required to) · de müssen (be required to) · khb ᦎᦸᧂᧉ (be required to) · lt privalo (be required to) · hi पड़ना (be required to) · eo sendube (said about something that is very likely, probable, or certain to be true) · nl moeten (be required to) · dsb dejaś (be required to) · nan-hbl 著 (be required to) · dsb musaś (be required to) · khb ᦏᦱᧉ (be required to) · sv måste (be required to) · et pidama (be required to) · ht dwe (be required to) · sm tatau lava (be required to) · no måtte (be required to) · hu alighanem (said about something that is very likely, probable, or certain to be true) · la servandus sum (be required to) · be му́сіць (be required to) · oc deure (be required to) · da skulle (be required to) · uk му́сити (be required to) · id harus (be required to) · io mustar (be required to) · es deber (said about something that is very likely, probable, or certain to be true) · rm stueir (be required to) · ru должно́ (be required to)
From Middle English must, from Old English must and Old French must, most, both from Latin mustum.
Meanings
(auxiliary, countable, defective, modal, uncountable) The property of being stale or musty.
(auxiliary, countable, defective, modal, uncountable) Something that exhibits the property of being stale or musty.
(auxiliary, countable, defective, modal, uncountable) Fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes.
No sweet grape lies hidden here in the shade of its vine-leaves,
No fermenting must fills and o'erflows the deep vats. c. 1874, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Ovid in Exile:
sv must (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · sh mošt (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · nn most (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · bg шира (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · nl most (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · hy մաճար (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · cs mošt (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · eo mosto (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · mk шира (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · tr şıra (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · it mosto (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · is berjalögur (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · nb most (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · el μούστος (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · ru муст (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · af mos (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · ro must (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · ca most (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · sq musht (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · tpw kaûĩpyasu (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · fa مشتفشار (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · fur most (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · sh мошт (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · fi puristemehu (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · he תִּירוֹשׁ (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · cy gwin newydd (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · la mustum (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · grc γλεῦκος (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · fa باده (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · fa پوراب (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · es mosto (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · io mosto (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · tpw kaûĩe'ẽ (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · rup mustu (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · sl mošt (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · fr moût m or mout (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · ar عَصِير (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · vec mosto (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · de Most (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · sk mušt (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · pl moszcz (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · pt mosto (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · hu must (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · gl mosto (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · cy mwst (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · ast mostiu (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes) · eu muztio (fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes)
No animal in the world is so dangerous as an elephant in must. 1871, Charles Darwin, “Secondary Sexual Characters of Mammals”, in The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex. […], volume II, London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, Part II (Sexual Selection), page 240:
Early one morning the sub-inspector at a police station the other end of the town rang me up on the 'phone and said that an elephant was ravaging the bazaar. Would I please come and do something about it? […] It was not, of course, a wild elephant, but a tame one which had gone "must". It had been chained up, as tame elephants always are when their attack of "must" is due, but on the previous night it had broken its chain and escaped. 1936, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], “Shooting an Elephant”, in Shooting an Elephant and Other Essays, London: Secker and Warburg, published 1950, →OCLC, pages 2–3: