Where does “possibly” come from?
Possibly comes from Middle English -ly, Old English -līċ, and Latin possibilis, ultimately derived from Latin possum and Proto-Indo-European ḱóm.
possibly (English): Perhaps; In the realm of possibility
Definitions
- Perhaps; In the realm of possibility
Ancestry of “possibly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | possible | Able but not certain to happen; neither... |
| 2 | Middle English | possible | — |
| 3 | Old French | possible | — |
| 4 | Latin | possibilis | possible, that may exist, that may be done |
| 5 | Latin | -bilis | -ble |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -ðlis | Forms adjectives from verb stems indicating capacity or worth of being acted on |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -dʰlis | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -dʰlom | Alternative form of *-trom; instrumental suffix;... |