možetъ

mošti `be able' [verb], mogǫ [1sg], možetъ [3sg]

moč' `be able' [verb], mogú [1sg], móžet [3sg]

moci `be able' [verb], mohu [1sg], může [3sg]

môct' `be able' [verb], môžem [1sg]

móc `be able' [verb], mogę [1sg], może [3sg]

mòći `be able' [verb], mògu [1sg], mȍžē [3sg];

Čak. mȍći (Vrgada) `be able' [verb], mȏgu [1sg], mȍže [3sg];

Čak. mȍć (Orbanići) `can, be able (to), be allowed (to)' [verb], mȍren [1sg]

móči `be able, must' [verb], mǫ́rem [1sg], mórem [1sg]

magė́ti `please, interest' \{1\} [verb], mãga [3sg]

IE meaning: be able, capable

Comments: The generally accepted apophonic relationship between Slavic *mogti, Lith. magė́ti etc. on the one hand and mė́gti `love, like', Latv. mêgt `be able, be accustomed to' on the other cannot be maintained if one adheres to the view that the lengthened grade yielded a Balto-Slavic circumflex. The acute of the latter verbs may be due to Winter's law (*h₁meǵ- if cognate with Gk. περιημεκτέω `be aggrieved, chafe'). The o-vocalism of magė́ti and the Slavic and the Germanic forms points to an old perfect. For the semantic development `to be able' -> `to like', cf. Go. mag vs. MoHG mögen. As Pokorny remarks himself, his reconstruction *magʰ-, māgʰ- is entirely based on the presumed connection of the aforementioned forms with Gk. μηχανή `means, instrument', μη̃χος `instrument, apparatus', Dor. μᾱχᾱνα, μα̃ χος, which was rejected by Endzelīns (1931: 183), Fraenkel (1951, 168), Stang (1972, 37) a.o. for various reasons (cf. ESSJa X: 110) but nevertheless reappears in Lehmann 1986 (239).

Skt. maghá- `power, wealth, gift'

;

Go. mag `have power, be able' [3sg];

OIc. mega `be able' [verb], má [3sg];

OHG magan, mugan `be able' [verb]

\{1\} The verb usually occurs in impersonal constructions. \{2\} The scholarly community is divided with respect to the question whether massi is a borrowing from Slavic (viz. Polish może) or a genuine Prussian form (see Mažiulis III: 114 for the relevant literature).