Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
noun
Something that could happen, or could be the case, under different circumstances; a potentiality.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
simple past of can
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: form-of, past
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
conditional of can
Used as a past subjunctive (contrary to fact).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
conditional of can
Used to politely ask for permission to do something.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
conditional of can
Used to politely ask for someone else to do something.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
conditional of can
Used to show the possibility that something might happen.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
conditional of can
Used to suggest something.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
past participle of can
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: form-of, participle, past
Qualifier: obsolete except Geordie
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
From Middle English coude, couthe, cuthe, from Old English cūþe, past indicative and past subjunctive form of cunnan (“to be able”) (compare related cūþ, whence English couth). Cognate with German konnte, Swedish kunde. The -l- in the spelling was added in the early 16th century by analogy with should and would; this analogy formerly affected the pronunciation as well and was probably assisted by the tendency for /l/ to be lost in those words (and so not written, leading to shudd, wode, etc).
