Etymologically
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possibile

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 21 October 2026 at 19:31. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • /posˈsi.bi.le/[1]

Forms

possibile m or f by sense (plural possibili, superlative possibilissimo)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin possibilis, a learned word, from possum (“to be able”) with the suffix -bilis.[2][3][4][5] Nocentini and DEI say that Quintilian coined the adjective in the 1st century AD, together with its opposite impossibilis, to render Ancient Greek δυνατός (dynatós) and ἀδύνατος (adýnatos).[3][6] The same Latin word gave French possible, recorded from the 14th century, and Spanish posible.[3][6]

Old Italian also had the form Old Italian possevole, and GDLI lists further old variants such as Old Italian possibele.[6][7][1] The noun possibilità comes from Late Latin possibilitas, found in the Vulgate and Arnobius, and possibilista from French possibiliste, the name of a branch of French socialism founded by Paul Brousse in 1881.[2][3][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is in Dante, 1293–1294, with the sense “that can be or happen”;[2][4] GRADIT dates the word to 1292.[2][4] As a noun, “what can be or happen, what can be done”, it is recorded before 1294 in Brunetto Latini.[2]

Semantic evolution

In scholastic philosophy the possibile intelletto was the intellect in potency;[8][4] Dante's Purgatorio speaks of a doctrine that “fe' disgiunto / dall'anima il possibile intelletto” (separated the possible intellect from the soul), and Guido Cavalcanti uses the same phrase.[8][4]

Possibilità is recorded for “capacity, power” before 1347 (Bartolomeo da San Concordio), in the plural for “means” in 1353 (Boccaccio), and for “the quality of being possible” before 1565 (Benedetto Varchi).[2] Antonio Labriola used possibilista in 1890 and possibilismo in 1891, for a politics that seeks attainable reforms rather than utopia.[2]

In modern Italian the adjective often stands alone, as an exclamation of disbelief or a cautious answer, and it reinforces comparatives and superlatives (il più presto possibile).[4][9][10] Colloquially it can mean “acceptable, passable”.[11][12]

Timeline

  • 1293–1294 – Dante uses possibile “that can be or happen”.[2]
  • Before 1294 – Brunetto Latini uses the noun il possibile.[2]
  • Before 1347 – Possibilità “capacity” is recorded.[2]
  • 1353 – Boccaccio uses possibilità in the plural for “means”.[2]
  • Before 1565 – Benedetto Varchi uses possibilità for “the quality of being possible”.[2]
  • 1890–1891 – Antonio Labriola uses possibilista and possibilismo.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. That can happen or exist, possible; impersonal è possibile che with the subjunctive: È possibile che stasera nevichi.[4][9][10]
  2. In questions and exclamations, expressing surprise, disbelief or annoyance; in answers, “perhaps”: Possibile che nessuno abbia sentito niente?[4][9][11]
  3. That can be true, not self-contradictory: una ricostruzione possibile dei fatti.[4]
  4. That can be done, feasible.[4][10][13]
  5. Reinforcing a comparative or superlative: il prima possibile, “as soon as possible”.[4][10][11]
  6. (colloquial) Acceptable, passable.[11][12][13]

Noun

  1. What can be or can be done: fare tutto il possibile, nei limiti del possibile.[12][13][1]

Word family

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  3. ^ a b c d Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  5. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b c d Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3036
  7. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  8. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  9. ^ a b c Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  10. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  11. ^ a b c d Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  12. ^ a b c Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  13. ^ a b c Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli