different between might vs dight

English

Alternative forms

• mite (eye dialect, informal)

Pronunciation

• enPR: m?t, IPA^(key): /ma?t/
• Homophone: mite
• Rhymes: -a?t

Etymology 1

From Middle English myght, might (also maught, macht, maht), from Old English miht, mieht, meaht, mæht (“might, bodily strength, power, authority, ability, virtue, mighty work, miracle, angel”), from Proto-West Germanic *mahti, from Proto-Germanic *mahtiz, *mahtuz (“might, power”), from Proto-Indo-European *móg?tis, *meg?- (“to allow, be able, help”), corresponding to Germanic *magan? + *-þiz.

Cognate with Scots micht, maucht (“might”), North Frisian macht (“might, ability”), West Frisian macht (“might, ability”), Dutch macht (“might, power”), German Macht (“power, might”), Swedish makt (“might”), Norwegian makt (“power”), Icelandic máttur (“might”), Gothic ???????????????????? (mahts). Related to may.

Noun

might (countable and uncountable, plural mights)

1. (countable, uncountable) Power, strength, force or influence held by a person or group.
   • 1969, {unattributed}, Journal of the United Service Institution of India, Volume 99

     "Since every nation considers itself right, peace lies in balancing the military mights of the possible rivals."

2. (uncountable) Physical strength or force.

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

3. (uncountable) The ability to do something.

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

might (comparative mighter, superlative mightest)

1. (obsolete) Mighty; powerful.
2. (obsolete) Possible.

Etymology 2

From Old English meahte and mihte, from magan, whence English may.

Verb

might (third-person singular simple present might, no present participle, simple past might, no past participle)

1. (auxiliary) Used to indicate conditional or possible actions.
   • 1608, Joseph Hall, Characters of Virtues and Vices

     The characterism of an honest man: He looks not to what he might do, but what he should.

   • “A tight little craft,” was Austin’s invariable comment on the matron; […]. ¶ Near her wandered her husband, orientally bland, invariably affable, and from time to time squinting sideways, as usual, in the ever-renewed expectation that he might catch a glimpse of his stiff, retroussé moustache.
2. (auxiliary) simple past tense of may Used to indicate permission in past tense.
   • 1922, James Frazer, The Golden Bough, Chapter 60:

     The king and queen of Tahiti might not touch the ground anywhere but within their hereditary domains; for the ground on which they trod became sacred.

3. (auxiliary) simple past tense of may Used to indicate possibility in past tense.
4. Used to indicate a desired past action that was not done.
5. (auxiliary) Even though.
6. (auxiliary) Used in polite requests for permission

Usage notes

For many speakers, the use as the past tense of the auxiliary may, indicating permission, is obsolete: I told him he might not see her will only be interpreted as "I told him he would possibly not see her," and not as "I told him he was not allowed to see her." For the latter case, "could not" or "was/were not allowed to," "was/were forbidden to," etc., will be used instead.

Conjugation

• archaic second-person singular simple past - mightest
• nonstandard, archaic third-person singular simple past - mighteth

Alternative forms

• mought (obsolete outside US dialects)
• mout (US regional pronunciation spelling)

Translations

See also

• could
• Appendix:English modal verbs
• Appendix:English tag questions

References

• might at OneLook Dictionary Search

English

Etymology

From Middle English dighten, dihten, (also dyten, from whence dite), from Old English dihtan, dihtian (“to set in order; dispose; arrange; appoint; direct; compose”), from Proto-Germanic *diht?n? (“to compose; invent”), of disputed origin. Possibly from a derivative of Proto-Germanic *d?kan? (“to arrange; create; perform”), from Proto-Indo-European *d?ey?-, *d?ey??- (“to knead; shape; mold; build”), influenced by Latin dict?re; or perhaps from Latin dict?re (“to dictate”) itself. See dictate; and also parallel formations in German dichten, Dutch dichten, Swedish dikta.

Pronunciation

• (US, UK) IPA^(key): /da?t/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): [d??t]
• Rhymes: -a?t

Verb

dight (third-person singular simple present dights, present participle dighting, simple past and past participle dight or dighted)

1. (obsolete, transitive) To deal with, handle.
2. (obsolete, transitive) To have sexual intercourse with.
   • 1387-1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Manciple's Prologue:

     Ne telleth nevere no man in youre lyf

     How that another man hath dight his wyf;

3. (obsolete, transitive) To dispose, put (in a given state or condition).
4. (obsolete, transitive) To compose, make.
   • 14^thc., Anonymous, The Chester Mystery Plays, Noah's Flood:

     Japhet's Wife: And I will gather chippes here / To make a fyer for you in feare, / And for to dighte your dinnere / Agayne you come in.

5. (archaic, transitive, of facial features) To be formed or composed (of).
   • 1885, Richard F. Burton, The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night:

     […] nor is there found, in sea or on land, a sweeter or pleasanter of gifts than she; for she is prime in comeliness and seemlihead of face and symmetrical shape of perfect grace; her check is ruddy dight, her brow flower white, her teeth gem-bright, her eyes blackest black and whitest white, her hips of heavy weight, her waist slight and her favour exquisite.

6. (archaic, transitive) To furnish, equip.
7. (archaic, transitive) To dress, array; to adorn.
8. (archaic, transitive) To make ready, prepare.

Synonyms

• (to have sexual intercourse): bed, feague, lie with; see also Thesaurus:copulate with
• (to furnish): apparel, fit out, kit out
• (to dress, array, adorn): clothe, don, put on; see also Thesaurus:clothe

Derived terms

• dighter
• adight
• bedight
• benedight
• misdight
• maledight
• overdight

Adjective

dight

1. (obsolete) Disposed; adorned.

Adverb

dight

1. (obsolete) Finely.

   Synonym: dightly

Yola

Etymology

From Middle English dighten, from Old English dihtan, from Proto-Germanic *diht?n?.

Verb

dight

1. adorned, dressed

References

• Jacob Poole (1867) , William Barnes, editor, A glossary, with some pieces of verse, of the old dialect of the English colony in the baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, J. Russell Smith, ?ISBN