Miht

Miht is an Old English noun meaning power, might, or strength. It appears in religious, legal, and poetic texts from roughly the 9th to 11th centuries. The word denotes force or ability and can also refer to sovereignty, as in expressions describing the lord’s or king’s might. The form is the ancestor of the modern English word might, though the modern term has acquired additional senses such as probability or possibility.

Etymology and cognates: Miht derives from Proto-Germanic *mahtiz, a root associated with power across Germanic languages. Related forms include Dutch macht and German Macht. The related Old English adjective mihtig means “mighty,” illustrating a common derivational path from the noun to adjective forms.

Usage and interpretation: In Old English, miht is encountered in contexts ranging from divine power to royal authority. It often occurs in compounds or evaluative phrases (for example, with a noun for ruler or deity) to emphasize strength or potency. The semantic field overlaps with mægen, another Old English term for strength or might, but miht frequently carries a sense of volition or sovereignty as well.

Legacy and scholarly note: The term miht provides insight into early Germanic concepts of power and their linguistic expression. In modern English, the word might preserves the core sense of power carried by Old English miht, while the modern noun “might” also extends into modern uses related to possibility and potential.