can
/kæn/
modal verb
Origin
Proto-Indo-European
*gno- — to know
Overview
Meaning Now
- To be able to; to have the necessary skill, power, or capacity to do something.
- To have permission to do something.
- To be theoretically possible or likely to happen.
Language path
Proto-Indo-European → Proto-Germanic → Old English → Middle English → English
Earliest form
cunnan
Earliest period
Old English
Journey
The modal 'can' derives from a preterite-present verb, meaning it functions grammatically as a past tense form that took on present-tense meaning. This category of verbs (including 'shall', 'may', and 'must') retained distinct archaic features, such as lacking an '-s' suffix in the third person singular.
Evolution
- Proto-Germanic
*kunnaną
“to know, to know how to”
- Old English
cunnan
“to know, to be able”
Preterite-present verb
- Middle English
can
“to know, to be able”
First and third person singular
- Early Modern English
can
“to be able”
Divergence from 'con' (to study) and 'ken' (to know)
Connections
Word parts
can
root
to know or be able
Related across languages
German
können
to be able to
Dutch
kunnen
to be able to
Old Norse
kunna
to know
Explore next
Related to can
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.