Etymologically
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peut-être

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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]

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