peut-être

Pronunciation

• IPA: /pø.t‿ɛtʁ/^[1]
• IPA: [pøˈt‿ɛ.tʁə]^[1]
• IPA (informal): [pœ.t‿aɪ̯t(ʁ)]^[1]
• IPA (Louisiana): [pøt‿ɛt(ɾ)]^[1]

Forms

peut-être^[1] Put cel estre (about 1120), puet estre (about 1160), peut-estre (early 15th century), peut-être (1680); the Académie wrote peut-estre in 1694 and 1718 and peut-être from 1740.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is formed from French pouvoir + être, from “peut”, the third person singular present of pouvoir, and the infinitive être.^[3][2][4] It is an ellipsis of Old French “puet cel estre” “that may be”.^[5][6][7] Old French also used espoir as an adverb meaning “perhaps”.^[8] Wiktionary compares Catalan potser.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in the first half of the 12th century in the Oxford Psalter as put cel estre “perhaps, that may be”.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

Puet estre que with the indicative is found at the end of the 12th century, and peut-être que in Corneille's Cinna (1641).^[3][2] The word served as an evasive answer from 1636 (Le Cid), and placed at the end of a sentence it expressed defiance or irony from 1775 (Beaumarchais).^[3] With bien (1824) it expresses probability, whence the p'têt ben qu'oui, p'têt ben qu'non attributed to Normans.^[2]

As a noun, un peut-être (1637) is rare except in allusion to the words Rabelais is said to have written on his deathbed: je m'en vais chercher un grand peut-être.^[2][3]

Timeline

• First half of the 12th century – Put cel estre in the Oxford Psalter.^[3]
• c. 1160 – Puet estre in the Roman d'Eneas.^[3]
• Late 12th century – Puet estre que.^[3]
• Early 15th century – Peut-estre in the Quinze joies de mariage.^[3]
• 1636 – Evasive answer, in Corneille's Le Cid.^[3]
• 1637 – Used as a noun.^[3]
• 1775 – Expressing defiance, in Beaumarchais's Barbier de Séville.^[3]
• 1824 – Peut-être bien.^[3]

Meanings

Adverb

1. Perhaps, maybe: Ils ne viendront peut-être pas.^[9][1]
2. Peut-être que, with the indicative: it may be that.^[10][3]
3. Peut-être bien: quite possibly, probably.^[10][2]
4. As an answer: perhaps, evasively.^[3][9]
5. At the end of a sentence, expressing defiance: Je ne sais pas conduire, peut-être ?^[10]
6. Before a number: about: Il y avait peut-être vingt personnes.^[10][11]

Noun

1. Un peut-être: something doubtful.^[8][3]

Related words

• pouvoir
• être

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
4. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 9, 232b
5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
10. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
11. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse