Etymologically
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misschien

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Pronunciation

  • /mɪˈsxin/, /məˈsxin/[1]

Forms

misschien[1] Older and regional forms are meschien, southern misschiens and beschien; in writing it is shortened to miss or mss.[2][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch maschien or meschien, a shortening of ⟨(het) mach schien⟩ “(it) may happen”, from Middle Dutch mach (“may”) + schien (“to happen”).[3][4][5][1] The first part is the third person singular present of mogen, the second the Middle Dutch verb that survives in geschieden.[3][6] The fuller machgescien is also recorded.[7]

The cluster ⟨chsch⟩ was assimilated to ⟨ssch⟩.[3] The vowel of the first syllable, which was unstressed, varied between ⟨a⟩, ⟨e⟩ and ⟨i⟩; the EWN thinks the ⟨i⟩ may come from the unrelated misschien (“to come to grief”) with the prefix mis-, while Van Haeringen and De Vries, after a suggestion published in 1915–1916, point to misselijk, which could mean “perhaps” in older Dutch.[3][8][5] The present form became general only in the 17th century, and its pronunciation with /mɪs-/ is a spelling pronunciation.[3]

Other languages made the same phrase: Middle Low German machschen, Danish måske (from Dutch or Low German), Swedish kanske “can happen”, German es mag sein and English maybe.[3][6][9] Van der Sijs counts it as a translation of French peut-être, but the EWN sees no need for a French model.[10][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Middle Dutch meschien first appears in 1236 in the rule of a Ghent leper house, about people who meschien might yet be sent away for their own wickedness.[3][11][12] Around 1240 a Limburg glossary renders Latin forsan, forte and fortasse with maschin “perhaps”.[11][13]

Semantic evolution

Middle Dutch had a parallel machlichte, literally “may easily”, recorded in 1287, and modern Dutch has kan zijn in the same use.[3][7] Misschien dat “it may be that” follows the original sense of the clause, though Middle Dutch hardly used it.[2] The word is used both for what is possible and to make a statement or a question less firm.[2][14] Writers of the 18th century could even use it as a noun: scholars wore themselves out in misschienen en mooglykheeden (1784).[2]

Frisian miskien and German dialect forms such as meschien come from Dutch, and the word passed into Petjo, Javindo, Berbice Dutch miskin and Afrikaans miskien.[9][1]

Timeline

  • 1236 – Middle Dutch meschien in Ghent.[3][11][12]
  • c. 1240 – Maschin glosses Latin forsan in Limburg.[11][3]
  • 1287 – The parallel machlichte.[3]
  • 1532 – The spelling misscien.[3]
  • 1635 – Mach-schien in Van de Venne.[2]
  • 1784 – The plural noun misschienen “possibilities”.[2]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. perhaps, maybe, possibly: Misschien komt hij morgen.[14][15][1]
  2. Softening a question or request: Kunt u misschien even helpen?[14][2]
  • mogen
  • geschieden
  • Danish måske

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Vries, Matthias de; Winkel, L. A. te, et al. (1882–1998), Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal, 29 vols., 's-Gravenhage / Leiden: Nijhoff / Sijthoff / SDU; supplement 2001; gtb.ivdnt.org
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Philippa, Marlies; Debrabandere, Frans; Quak, Arend; Schoonheim, Tanneke; Sijs, Nicoline van der (2003–2009), Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands, 4 vols., Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press; online via etymologiebank.nl
  4. ^ Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
  5. ^ a b Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
  6. ^ a b Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  7. ^ a b Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
  8. ^ Haeringen, C. B. van (1936), Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal: Supplement, 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  9. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
  10. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2005), Groot leenwoordenboek, Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale
  11. ^ a b c d Pijnenburg, W. J. J., et al. (2001), Vroegmiddelnederlands woordenboek: woordenboek van het Nederlands van de dertiende eeuw in hoofdzaak op basis van het Corpus-Gysseling, Leiden: Instituut voor Nederlandse Lexicologie; gtb.ivdnt.org
  12. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
  13. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 250
  14. ^ a b c Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
  15. ^ Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org