English

can't

Cannot (negative modal auxiliary); be unable to; not have the ability to (whether due to lacking relevant strength or skill or knowledge or supplies, or due to logical impossibility, etc).

    Etymology graph

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    Origin

    From can + -n't, since 1706 or earlier.

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • partEnglishcan “To know how to.”
      • inheritedMiddle Englishcunnen “to try”
        • inheritedOld Englishcunnan “to know how to, be able to”
      • inheritedMiddle Englishcanne
        • inheritedOld Englishcanne “glass, container, cup, jar”
    • suffixEnglish-n't “Negates the meaning of the clause in which it occurs.”
      • derivedEnglishnot “Negates the meaning of the modified verb.”
        • inheritedMiddle Englishnot

    Sources