posible

Forms

posible m or f (masculine and feminine plural posibles)^[1] Older texts spell it possible, the usual spelling until the 18th century.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is a learned borrowing borrowed from Latin possibilis (“possible”).^[1][4][5] The DCECH lists it among the learned words of the family of poder, with posibilidad and imposible.^[5]

The Latin adjective is formed from possum (“to be able”) and the suffix -bilis.^[6][1] Quintilian says that it rendered the Greek rhetorical term Ancient Greek δυνατός (dunatós).^[6][7] That verb goes back to Proto-Italic *possom, from *potis (“master, in control”) and *som (“I am”).^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The DCECH's first record is Nebrija (c. 1495).^[5] The CDH has earlier Castilian records: possible in the Libro del cavallero Cifar (1300–1305), known from a copy of the late 15th century, and posible in a translation of the Historia de Jerusalem abreviada made after 1350: „e si aquesto sea verdat o posible, dexamoslo al juizio del discreto leedor” “and whether this be true or possible, we leave to the judgement of the wise reader”.^[2] Its earliest hit, of 1291, is in a Latin text.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Juan Fernández de Heredia has possible in his works of 1376–1396 and 1379–1384.^[2] Nebrija glossed possible as “that can be”, Latin possibilis.^[8] Covarrubias in 1611 opposed it to impossible.^[9]

The Diccionario de Autoridades already had the noun possible, used mostly in the plural, for a person's goods, income or means (mis possibles no alcanzan à esso), and the exclamation ¡es possible! expressing surprise.^[3] In 1855 Baralt objected to the French-style use of posible after a superlative (lo menos posible), and noted that the classical writers used the noun in the singular as well as the plural.^[10] The singular noun is recorded in New Granada in 1554.^[11]

Timeline

• 1300–1305 – possible in the Libro del cavallero Cifar (known from a copy of the late 15th century).^[2]
• after 1350 – posible in the translation of the Historia de Jerusalem abreviada.^[2]
• c. 1440 – first record of posibilidad and imposibilidad.^[5]
• c. 1495 – Nebrija records the word, the DCECH's first record.^[5][8]
• 1554 – the noun “means” in New Granada.^[11]
• 1611 – Covarrubias records it with possibilidad.^[9]
• 1817 – the Academy spells it posible and records hacer lo posible.^[12]

Meanings

Adjective

1. possible: that can be or happen: Es posible que nieve mañana.^[4][1]
2. That can be done, feasible.^[4]

Noun

1. Possibility; the faculty or means available for doing something.^[4]
2. (usually plural) A person's goods, income or means: una familia de posibles.^[4][13]

Related words

• poder
• posibilidad
• posibilitar
• imposible
• potente
• Latin possibilis

Usage notes

Hacer lo posible or hacer todo lo posible is “to do everything one can”.^[4][12]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Real Academia Española (2013–), Corpus del Diccionario histórico de la lengua española (CDH), version 3.1, https://apps.rae.es/CNDHE, p. s.v. posible
3. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1726–1739), Diccionario de la lengua castellana (Diccionario de Autoridades), 6 vols., Madrid: Francisco del Hierro, p. 5, 336
4. ^ a b c d e f Real Academia Española; Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (2014–), Diccionario de la lengua española, 23rd ed., online version 23.8, https://dle.rae.es, p. s.v. posible
5. ^ a b c d e Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 4, 588
6. ^ a b Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. possibilis
7. ^ Bénaben, Michel (2000), Dictionnaire étymologique de l'espagnol, Paris: Ellipses, p. s.v. posible
8. ^ a b Lleal, Coloma (dir.), DICCA-XV: Diccionario del castellano del siglo XV en la Corona de Aragón, Barcelona: Universitat de Barcelona, Grup d'Estudis d'Història de la Llengua (GHCL), https://ghcl.ub.edu/diccaxv, p. s.v. posible
9. ^ a b Covarrubias Orozco, Sebastián de (1611), Tesoro de la lengua castellana o española, Madrid: Luis Sánchez (Biblioteca Wordkers transcription, CC BY 4.0), p. 1224
10. ^ Baralt, Rafael María (1855), Diccionario de galicismos, Madrid: Imprenta de J. Cruzado, p. 542
11. ^ a b Boyd-Bowman, Peter (2003), Léxico hispanoamericano 1493–1993, ed. Ray Harris-Northall and John J. Nitti, New York: Hispanic Seminary of Medieval Studies, p. s.v. posible
12. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1817), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 5th ed., Madrid: Imprenta Real, p. 693
13. ^ Moliner, María (2007), Diccionario de uso del español, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. posible