ought
UK[ɔːt]US[ɔːt]
modal
used to indicate duty or correctness, typically when criticizing someone's actions
modal
used to indicate something that is probable
modal
used to indicate a desirable or expected state
Etymology
The word 'ought' is a defective modal verb with a complex history. It originates from the Old English 'āhte', the past tense of 'āgan', meaning 'to own, to possess'. This connection to possession and obligation evolved through Middle English, where it began to express duty or necessity. Its modern usage, detached from tense and lacking an infinitive form, reflects a semantic shift from concrete possession to abstract moral or logical expectation, a journey common in the grammaticalization of verbs.
Analysis
n/a
Examples
you ought to apologize for what you said.
it ought to be easy to find their house.
the bus ought to have arrived by now.