Etymologically
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possibility

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 23:00. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˌpɒs.əˈbɪl.ə.ti/, US /ˌpɑː.səˈbɪl.ə.t̬i/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English possibilite,[2] borrowed from Old French possibilité (13th century),[3][4] and directly from Late Latin possibilitatem,[3][4] from possibilis “able to be done”,[3][4] the source of possible.[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The state or fact of being possible: about 1374 in the OED,[5] the late 14th century in Etymonline.[3]

Semantic evolution

A possible thing or circumstance, something that may happen, is from about 1400.[3][5] In law, after possibility meant after the possibility of children had ended, from about 1350.[5] Promise of favourable results, as in the plan has possibilities, is in the American Heritage.[6] In Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Warwickshire dialect one's possibility was the extent of one's means.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 1350 – in law.[5]
  • c. 1374 – the state of being possible.[5]
  • c. 1400 – a possible thing.[3][5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The fact or state of being possible.
  2. Something that may happen or be the case: rain is a possibility.
  3. possibilities: potential for good or interesting results.

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  7. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)