English

possible

/ˈpɒs.ə.bəl/
Able but not certain to happen; neither inevitable nor impossible.

    Etymology graph

    • inherited
    • borrowed
    • derived
    • parts
    • meaning component
    • sound component
    • related
    React Flow

    Click a node to zoom in · double-click to open it

    Origin

    From Middle English possible, from Old French possible, from Latin possibilis (“possible”), from posse, possum (“to be able”); see power. Displaced Middle English acumendlic (“possible”), from Old English ācumendlīċ (“possible”). Compare also Old English mihtelīċ (“strong, capable, powerful, possible”), which was cognate with Old High German mahtlīh (“possible”) and Old Norse máttulígr (“mighty, possible”). Compare also Dutch mogelijk (“possible”) and German möglich (“possible”).

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • rootProto-Indo-European*h₁es- “to be”
    • inheritedMiddle Englishpossible
      • derivedOld Frenchpossible
        • derivedLatinpossibilis “possible”

    Sources