must1

[muhst] /mʌst/
auxiliary verb
1.
to be obliged or bound to by an imperative requirement:
I must keep my word.
2.
to be under the necessity to; need to:
Animals must eat to live.
3.
to be required or compelled to, as by the use or threat of force:
You must obey the law.
4.
to be compelled to in order to fulfill some need or achieve an aim:
We must hurry if we're to arrive on time.
5.
to be forced to, as by convention or the requirements of honesty:
I must say, that is a lovely hat.
6.
to be or feel urged to; ought to:
I must buy that book.
7.
to be reasonably expected to; is bound to:
It must have stopped raining by now. She must be at least 60.
8.
to be inevitably certain to; be compelled by nature:
Everyone must die.
verb (used without object)
9.
to be obliged; be compelled:
Do I have to go? I must, I suppose.
10.
Archaic. (sometimes used with ellipsis of go, get, or some similar verb readily understood from the context):
We must away.
adjective
11.
necessary; vital:
A raincoat is must clothing in this area.
noun
12.
something necessary, vital, or required:
This law is a must.
Origin
before 900; Middle English most(e), Old English mōste (past tense); cognate with German musste. See mote2
Synonyms
1. Must, ought, should express necessity or duty. Must expresses necessity or compulsion: I must attend to those patients first. Soldiers must obey orders. Ought (weaker than must ) expresses obligation, duty, desirability: You ought to tell your mother. Should expresses obligation, expectation, or probability: You are not behaving as you should. Children should be taught to speak the truth. They should arrive at one o'clock.

must2

[muhst] /mʌst/
noun
1.
new wine; the unfermented juice as pressed from the grape or other fruit.
Origin
before 900; Middle English, Old English < Latin mustum, short for vīnum mustum new wine

must3

[muhst] /mʌst/
noun
1.
mold; moldiness; mustiness:
a castle harboring the must of centuries.
Origin
1595-1605; back formation from musty1

must4

[muhst] /mʌst/
noun
1.
musth.

must5

[muhst] /mʌst/
noun
1.
musk, especially a powder made from musk.
verb (used with object)
2.
to powder (the hair).
Origin
1480-90; earlier moist < Middle French must, variant of musc musk
Examples from the web for must
  • Instructor must have ability to teach in the university's general education program.
  • But now it has almost caught up with the developed world it must change its approach.
  • Some also suggest that to be invasive, a species must have negative effects on native wildlife.
  • And the wide-open landscape looks much as it must have in the state's early ranching days.
  • Ennui is a cognitive gift, but it must be properly unlocked.
  • Candidates must be innovative and creative, and must possess superb communications skills and a collegial leadership style.
  • Protesters around the world demand that something must be done.
  • For decomposition to take place, microorganisms must be present to break down the materials.
  • The whole system must before long undergo a radical change.
  • If you must gild the lily, choose from the brief list of toppings.
British Dictionary definitions for must

must1

/mʌst; unstressed məst; məs/
verb takes an infinitive without to or an implied infinitive
1.
used as an auxiliary to express obligation or compulsion: you must pay your dues. In this sense, must does not form a negative. If used with a negative infinitive it indicates obligatory prohibition
2.
used as an auxiliary to indicate necessity: I must go to the bank tomorrow
3.
used as an auxiliary to indicate the probable correctness of a statement: he must be there by now
4.
used as an auxiliary to indicate inevitability: all good things must come to an end
5.
(used as an auxiliary to express resolution)
  1. on the part of the speaker when used with I or we: I must finish this
  2. on the part of another or others as imputed to them by the speaker, when used with you, he, she, they, etc: let him get drunk if he must
6.
(used emphatically) used as an auxiliary to express conviction or certainty on the part of the speaker: he must have reached the town by now, surely, you must be joking
7.
(foll by away) used with an implied verb of motion to express compelling haste: I must away
noun
8.
an essential or necessary thing: strong shoes are a must for hill walking
Word Origin
Old English mōste past tense of mōtan to be allowed, be obliged to; related to Old Saxon mōtan, Old High German muozan, German müssen

must2

/mʌst/
noun
1.
mustiness or mould
Word Origin
C17: back formation from musty

must3

/mʌst/
noun
1.
the newly pressed juice of grapes or other fruit ready for fermentation
Word Origin
Old English, from Latin mustum new wine, must, from mustus (adj) newborn

must4

/mʌst/
noun
1.
a variant spelling of musth

musth

/mʌst/
noun
1.
(often preceded by in) a state of frenzied sexual excitement in the males of certain large mammals, esp elephants, associated with discharge from a gland between the ear and eye
Word Origin
C19: from Urdu mast, from Persian: drunk
Word Origin and History for must
v.

Old English moste, past tense of motan "have to, be able to," from Proto-Germanic *mot- "ability, leisure (to do something)" (cf. Old Saxon motan "to be obliged to, have to," Old Frisian mota, Middle Low German moten, Dutch moeten, German müssen "to be obliged to," Gothic gamotan "to have room to, to be able to"), perhaps from PIE root *med- "to measure, to take appropriate measures" (see medical (adj.)). Used as present tense from c.1300, from the custom of using past subjunctive as a moderate or polite form of the present.

n.

"new wine," Old English must, from Latin mustum (also source of Old High German, German most, Old French moust, Modern French moût, Spanish, Italian mosto), short for vinum mustum "fresh wine," neuter of mustus "fresh, new, newborn," perhaps literally "wet," and from PIE *mus-to-, from root *meus- "damp" (see moss).

"mold," c.1600, perhaps a back-formation of musty (q.v.).

"male elephant frenzy," 1871, from Urdu mast "intoxicated, in rut," from Persian mast, literally "intoxicated," related to Sanskrit matta- "drunk, intoxicated," past participle of madati "boils, bubbles, gets drunk," from PIE root *mad- "wet, moist" (see mast (n.2)).

"that which has to be done, seen, or experienced," 1892, from must (v.). As an adjective, "obligatory, indispensable," by 1912, from the noun; must-read is from 1959.

must in Science
musth also must
  (mŭst)   
An annual period of heightened aggressiveness and sexual activity in male elephants.
Idioms and Phrases with must

must

see: