could

Meanings

Plural: coulds

Verb

simple past of can
conditional of can
Used as a past subjunctive (contrary to fact).
conditional of can
Used to politely ask for permission to do something.
conditional of can
Used to politely ask for someone else to do something.
conditional of can
Used to show the possibility that something might happen.
conditional of can
Used to suggest something.
conditional of can
past participle of can

Noun

Something that could happen, or could be the case, under different circumstances; a potentiality.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English coude, couthe, cuthe, from Old English cūþe, past indicative and past subjunctive form of cunnan (“to be able”) (compare related cūþ, whence English couth).
The -l- in the spelling was added in the early 16th century by analogy with should and would; this analogy formerly affected the pronunciation as well and was probably assisted by the tendency for /l/ to be lost in those words (and so not written, leading to shudd, wode, etc).

Scrabble Score: 8

could is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
could is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
could is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 11

could is a valid Words With Friends word