| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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Appendix I
Indo-European Roots |
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| ENTRY: | magh- |
| DEFINITION: | To be able, have power.
Derivatives include dismay, might1, machine, and magic.
1a. may1, from Old English magan, to be able; b. dismay, from Old French esmaier, to frighten. Both a and b from Germanic *magan, to be able. 2. might1, from Old English miht, power, from Germanic suffixed form *mah-ti-, power. 3. main, from Old English mægen, power, from Germanic suffixed form *mag-inam, power. 4. Suffixed lengthened-grade form *m gh-an-, “that which enables.” machine, mechanic, mechanism, mechano-, from Greek (Attic) m khan, (Doric) mkhan, device. 5. Possibly suffixed form *magh-u-. magic, magus, from Old Persian magu , member of a priestly caste (< “mighty one”). (Pokorny magh- 695.) |
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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