[mahyt] 
| 1. | pt. of may 1 . |
| 2. | (used to express possibility): They might be at the station. |
| 3. | (used to express advisability): You might at least thank me. |
| 4. | (used in polite requests for permission): Might I speak to you for a moment? |
[mahyt] | 1. | physical strength: He swung with all his might. |
| 2. | superior power or strength; force: the theory that might makes right. |
| 3. | power or ability to do or accomplish; capacity: the might of the ballot box. |
| 4. | with might and main, with all the vigor, force, or energy at one's command: They pulled with might and main. |
[mey] 
) may⋅est or mayst, 3rd may; present plural may; past might. | 1. | (used to express possibility): It may rain. |
| 2. | (used to express opportunity or permission): You may enter. |
| 3. | (used to express contingency, esp. in clauses indicating condition, concession, purpose, result, etc.): I may be wrong but I think you would be wise to go. Times may change but human nature stays the same. |
| 4. | (used to express wish or prayer): May you live to an old age. |
| 5. | Archaic. (used to express ability or power.) |
| may 1 (mā) aux.v. Past tense might (mīt)
[Middle English, to be able, from Old English mæg, first and third person sing. of magan, to be strong, be able; see magh- in Indo-European roots.] |
| might 2 (mīt) aux.v. Past tense of may
[Middle English, from Old English meahte, mihte, first and third person sing. past tense of magan, to be able; see may1.] Our Living Language : In many Southern U.S. varieties of English, might can be paired with other auxiliary verbs such as could, as in We might could park over there. Words like might and could are known as modals, since they express certain "moods" (for example, I might go indicates an uncertain mood on the part of the speaker). Combinations such as might could, might would, and might can are known as double modals. Other less common combinations include may can, may will, and might should. Since double modals typically begin with may or might, they lessen the degree of conviction or certainty (much like the word possibly) more than a single modal does. Double modals are used, for example, to minimize the force of what one is saying, as when asking someone for a favor or when indicating displeasure. · Although double modals may sound odd outside of the South, they carry little if any social stigma within the South and are used by speakers of all social classes and educational levels—even in formal instances like political addresses. Like many features of Southern varieties of English, the use of double modals is probably due to the fact that many of the first English speakers in the South were Scotch-Irish, whose speech made use of double modals. This feature has been noted as far back as the Middle English period, but today's most common forms were not used to any great extent until the mid-18th century. They are surprisingly rare in dialect fiction but do occasionally occur, as in Old Yeller by Fred Gipson: "Jumper's liable to throw a fit with that hide rattling along behind him, and you might not can hold him by yourself." |