|
and from webster's on line:
Main Entry: 1can
Pronunciation: \kən, ˈkan also ˈken; dial ˈkin\
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): past could \kəd, ˈku̇d\; present singular & plural can
Etymology: Middle English (1st & 3d singular present indicative), from Old English; akin to Old High German kan (1st & 3d singular present indicative) know, am able, Old English cnāwan to know — more at know
Date: before 12th century
transitive verb
1 obsolete : know, understand
2 archaic : to be able to do, make, or accomplish
intransitive verb
archaic : to have knowledge or skill
verbal auxiliary
1 a : know how to b : be physically or mentally able to c —used to indicate possibility ; sometimes used interchangeably with may d : be permitted by conscience or feeling to e : be made possible or probable by circumstances to f : be inherently able or designed to g : be logically or axiologically able to <2 + 2 can also be written 3 + 1> h : be enabled by law, agreement, or custom to
2 : have permission to —used interchangeably with may
usage Can and may are most frequently interchangeable in senses denoting possibility; because the possibility of one's doing something may depend on another's acquiescence, they have also become interchangeable in the sense denoting permission. The use of can to ask or grant permission has been common since the 19th century and is well established, although some commentators feel may is more appropriate in formal contexts. May is relatively rare in negative constructions (mayn't is not common); cannot and can't are usual in such contexts.
|