different between might vs prestige

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

Alternative forms

• præstige (archaic)

Etymology

From French prestige (“illusion, fascination, enchantment, prestige”), from Latin praestigium (“a delusion, an illusion”). Despite the phonetic similarities and the old meaning of “delusion, illusion, trick”, the word has a different root than prestidigitator (“conjurer”) and prestidigitation.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /p??s?ti(d)?/, /p???sti(d)?/
• (obsolete) IPA^(key): /?p??st?d?/
• Rhymes: -i??, -i?d?

Noun

prestige (usually uncountable, plural prestiges)

1. The quality of how good the reputation of something or someone is, how favourably something or someone is regarded.

2. (obsolete, often preceded by "the") Delusion; illusion; trick.

Derived terms

• covert prestige
• overt prestige
• prestigious

See also

• prestigiousness

Translations

Adjective

prestige (not comparable)

1. (sociolinguistics, of a linguistic form) Regarded as relatively prestigious; often, considered the standard language or language variety, or a part of such a variety.

Further reading

• prestige in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• prestige in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• prestige at OneLook Dictionary Search

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French prestige, from Latin praestigium.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?pr?s?ti?.??/
• Hyphenation: pres?ti?ge
• Rhymes: -i???

Noun

prestige n (uncountable)

1. prestige

Derived terms

• prestigekwestie
• prestigeproject
• prestigieus

Descendants

• ? Indonesian: prestise

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin praestigium.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /p??s.ti?/

Noun

prestige m (plural prestiges)

1. prestige

Derived terms

• prestigieux

Descendants

Further reading

• “prestige” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Swedish

Etymology

From French prestige.

Noun

prestige c

1. prestige

Declension

Related terms

• prestigelös