Where does “peut-être” come from?
peut-être (French) comes from French peut, from French pouvoir, from Middle French povoir, from Old French povoir, from Old French poeir, from Vulgar Latin potere, from Latin possum, from Proto-Italic *possom.
peut-être (French): maybe, perhaps
Definitions
- maybe, perhaps
Ancestry of “peut-être”, step by step
peut-être traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French peut
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | peut | third-person singular present indicative of... |
| 2 | French | pouvoir | can, to be able to; may; to be possible; may,... |
| 3 | Middle French | povoir | can; be able to; power |
| 4 | Old French | povoir | — |
| 5 | Old French | poeir | Alternative form of pooir |
| 6 | Vulgar Latin | potere | to be able; second-person singular present... |
| 7 | Latin | possum | I am able, I can, I may |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | *possom | — |