# mowen
## Middle English
### Etymology 1

From Old English magan, from Proto-West Germanic *magan, from Proto-Germanic *maganą.
Most forms are from an Old English by-form *mugan (no doubt due to the analogy of dugan).

#### Alternative forms

* magen, maȝen, mayen, mauen, mawe, mawen, moȝen, mouen, mouin, moun, mouwe, mouwen, mow, mowe, mugen, muȝhen

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈmuːən/, /ˈmɔu̯ən/
* (Early Middle English) IPA: /ˈmuɣən/, /ˈmaɣən/
* (Northern) IPA: /muː/, /mɑu̯/

#### Verb

mowen (third-person singular simple present may, present participle mowynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative myghte, past participle mowen)
* To be strong or powerful.
* (auxiliary) To be able to; to have the capability (to do); can.
** p. 1154, “AD 1137”, in Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (MS. Laud Misc. 636, continuation), Peterborough, folio 89, verso; republished at Oxford: Digital Bodleian, 2018 February 8:Þu myhteſ faren al a dæiſ fare ſculdeſt thu neure finden man in tun ſittende · ne land tiled.You could go a whole day's journey, but you'd never find anyone in town or any tilled fields.
** c. 1395, John Wycliffe, John Purvey [et al.], transl., Bible (Wycliffite Bible (later version), MS Lich 10.)‎, published c. 1410, Apocalips 6:17, page 119v, column 1; republished as Wycliffe's translation of the New Testament, Lichfield: Bill Endres, 2010:foꝛ þe greet dai of her wraþþe comeþ · ⁊ who ſchal mowe ſtonde […] because the great day of their wrath has arrived, and who'll be able to stand?
* (auxiliary) To potentially be able (to do); might.
** 1407, The Testimony of William Thorpe, pages 40–41:Maister Ion Aston taughte and wroot acordingli and ful bisili, where and whanne and to whom he myghte, and he vsid it himsilf, I gesse, right perfyghtli vnto his lyues eende. […] "(please add an English translation of this quotation)
* (auxiliary) To be permitted (to do); may.
* (auxiliary) To ought (to do); should.
* (auxiliary) Will, would.
* (auxiliary) As a syntactic marker.

##### Usage notes

As in Modern English, what are historically the past forms of this verb are frequently used with present or even future semantics.

##### Conjugation

| infinitive | (to) mowen, mowe, maye | (to) mowen, mowe, maye |
| | present tense | past tense |
| 1st-person singular | may | myghte, moghte |
| 2nd-person singular | myght, mayst | myghtest, moghtest |
| 3rd-person singular | may | myghte, moghte |
| subjunctive singular | mowe, maye | myghte, moghte |
| imperative singular | — | — |
| plural$^1$ | mowen, mowe, mayen, maye | myghten, myghte, moghten, moghte |
| imperative plural | — | — |
| participles | mowynge, mowende | mowen, mowe, myght, moght |
$^1$Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

##### Descendants

* English: may
* Scots: mey, may, ma
* Yola: mye, mey, meigh, mai, maa, ma

##### References

* “mouen, v.(3).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-03-12.

### Etymology 2

From Old English māwan, from Proto-West Germanic *māan, from Proto-Germanic *mēaną.

#### Alternative forms

* mawe, mawen, mouin, mouwe, mow, mowe

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈmɔu̯ən/
* (Early Middle English) IPA: /ˈmɑu̯ən/
* (Northern) IPA: /mɑu̯/

#### Verb

mowen (third-person singular simple present moweth, present participle mowynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative mew, past participle mowen)
* To mow; to cut or slice off (the tops) of grasses or stalks.
* To collect crops using a scythe or similar implement.

##### Conjugation

| infinitive | (to) mowen, mowe | (to) mowen, mowe |
| | present tense | past tense |
| 1st-person singular | mowe | mew |
| 2nd-person singular | mowest | mewe, mew |
| 3rd-person singular | moweth | mew |
| subjunctive singular | mowe | mewe$^1$ |
| imperative singular | mowe | — |
| plural$^2$ | mowen, mowe | mewen, mewe |
| imperative plural | moweth, mowe | — |
| participles | mowynge, mowende | mowen, mowe, ymowen, ymowe |
$^1$Replaced by the indicative in later Middle English. $^2$Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

##### Derived terms

* mowynge
* mowere

##### Descendants

* English: mow
* Scots: maw

##### References

* “mouen, v.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-05-03.