possiblyadv.n.

Brit.

/ˈpɒsᵻbli/, U.S.

/ˈpɑsəbli/

Forms: Middle English possibily, Middle English– possibly, 1500s possiblye, 1600s possiblie; Scottish pre-1700 posibelie, pre-1700 possabillie, pre-1700 posseblie, pre-1700 possibillie, pre-1700 possibilly, pre-1700 possiblie, pre-1700 pre-1700– possibly.

Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: possible adj., -ly suffix².

Etymology: < possible adj. + -ly suffix². Compare Middle French, French possiblement (1337; now rare).

A. adv.

a. In a possible manner; in accordance with what can or may exist, occur, be done, etc.; within the range of possibility; by any existing power or means, in any possible way.Chiefly, now only, used as an intensifier of can or could.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > possibility > [adverb]

welleOE

possiblyc1400

possiblea1425

contingentlyc1430

potentiallyc1450

perhapsa1535

as and when1565

conceivably1625

if you like1813

c1400 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Brussels) (1940) Introd. f. 75 Alle the conclusions that han ben fownden, or ellis possibly [v.r. possibily] myghten be fownden.

1583 T. Stocker tr. Tragicall Hist. Ciuile Warres Lowe Countries i. 31 Sent..for as much Artillery as was possiblye to be had.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) ii. ii. 3 When possibly I can, I will returne.

1625 R. Montagu Appello Cæsarem 61 The first thing he..possibly and conceiveably could doe.

a1650 S. D'Ewes Jrnls. Parl. Queen Elizabeth anno 1571 (1682) 174/2 Of some other transgressions, her Majesty may dispense afore with; but for usury, or to grant that usury may be used, she possibly cannot.

a1680 S. Butler Genuine Remains (1759) I. 14 Every Man amaz'd anew, How it could possibly be true.

1710 J. Addison Tatler No. 243. ¶ 6 He cannot possibly live till Five in the Morning.

1767 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. (new ed.) II. 295 A deed is a writing sealed and delivered by the parties..it is called a deed..because it is the most solemn and authentic act that a man can possibly perform, with relation to the disposal of his property.

1806 T. S. Surr Winter in London III. iii. 136 No rank, no sex, could possibly receive exemption from the general crush.

1879 C. Hibbs in Cassell's Techn. Educator IV. 263/2 As desirous of improving the style of their work as any art-critic could possibly wish them to be.

1902 W. S. Maugham Mrs. Craddock xv. 154 Her heart sank and she asked herself frantically how she could possibly get through it.

1939 G. Greene Confidential Agent i. iii. 121 ‘I know,’ D. said, ‘you have only my word for this—but what possibly have I to gain?’

1984 D. Leavitt Family Dancing 206 Then she fell asleep, wondering to herself what kind of book Nathan could ever possibly write.

2004 Independent 17 Aug. 26/4 The tally that early couldn't possibly be meaningful as..votes in richer neighbourhoods throughout Venezuela get tabulated far sooner than in poor neighbourhoods.

†b. Used for possible in adverbial phrases, as if possibly, soon as possibly, by all means possibly. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > possibility > [adjective]

possiblec1384

possibly1542

resortible1586

feasible1611

mortal1616

maybe1687

poss1853

1542 Acts Parl. Scotl. (1814) II. 416/2 It was nocht posseblie to thaim to haif..informit thar procuratoris.

?1570 T. Ingelend Disobedient Child sig. B.ii^v Therfore out of hande, with all spede posybly, To haue a wife (me thynke) wolde do well.

1583 T. Stocker tr. Tragicall Hist. Ciuile Warres Lowe Countries iii. 117 b That all South Holland, if it were possibly, might bee laide vnder the water.

1640 W. Habington Hist. Edward IV 137 Soone as possibly, he was dismist.

1656 Ld. Orrery Parthenissa V. iii. iv. 278 I..[was] somewhat moved..if possibly, to make her think she was mistook.

1670 G. Havers tr. G. Leti Il Cardinalismo di Santa Chiesa i. i. 16 It is the custom of the Italians, to constrain and reserve themselves as much as possibly.

1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones VI. xi. 268 He then declared an Intention of going..to Fitzpatrick's Lodgings, in order to prevail with him, if possibly, to consent to a Separation from his Wife.

†c. According to one's ability; as much or as well as one can. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > manner of action > effort or exertion > [adverb] > as much or well as one can

possibly1657

1657 O. Cromwell Speech 8 Apr. in Writings & Speeches (1947) (modernized text) IV. 454 You have provided for every one of them as a Free Man, as a man that doth (act) possibly, rationally, and conscientiously.

2. Qualifying a statement, and expressing contingency or uncertainty (cf. possible adj. 3): according to what may be (as far as one knows); perhaps, maybe. Frequently used as an intensifier of may or might.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > possibility > [adverb] > perhaps

is wenc897

wen isc897

peradventurec1300

peradventurec1325

perchancec1350

uphapa1375

percasea1393

lightly1395

in casea1398

maybea1400

may chancea1400

may-falla1400

may-fortunea1400

may-tidea1400

perhapa1464

happen1487

perhapsc1520

percase1523

ablea1525

by chance1526

mayhap1533

fortunea1535

belikelya1551

haps1570

mayhappen1577

perhappen1578

possibly1600

not impossibly1667

ables1673

aunters1673

aiblins1720

p'rapsa1745

aunterens1825

mebbe1825

yes-no1898

yimkin1925

ja-nee1937

1600 E. Blount tr. G. F. di Conestaggio Hist. Uniting Portugall to Castill 18 With greater libertie then possiblie reason woulde allowe.

1692 R. South 12 Serm. I. 409 A man by mere peradventure lights into company, possibly is driven into an House by a shower of Rain for present Shelter.

1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 98. ¶2 The Women might possibly have carried this Gothick Building much higher.

1796 Hull Advertiser 9 Jan. 1/4 A rescue and a riot by the rest of the corpse might possibly be the result.

1847 C. Brontë Jane Eyre I. iii. 35 Possibly I might have some poor, low relations.

1877 A. Bain Compan. Higher Eng. Gram. (ed. 2) 198 We shall possibly come.

1899 T. Nicol Recent Archæol. & Bible v. 206 A Hittite woman was possibly the mother of Solomon.

1945 E. Bowen in New Writing & Daylight Sept. 27 Possibly they could not all hear; some had been merely drawn to the windows by the sensation of something going on.

1956 K. Amis Let. 24 Sept. (2000) 479 You might possibly have got her pants down if you'd tried hard.

1983 ‘A. T. Ellis’ Other Side of Fire (1985) xvi. 101 Normally she would have explained to Edith where she was going and, quite possibly, why.

B. n.

An instance of the use of ‘possibly’ to qualify a statement. Also: something that could possibly happen; a possibility as distinct from a probability or certainty. Cf. perhaps n.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > possibility > [noun]

possibilityc1385

reason1567

possibleness1642

possibly1881

the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > possibility > [noun] > a possible thing or circumstance

possibilityc1460

perhapsa1535

potential1587

potentiality1587

maybe1598

contingencya1626

contingent1655

conceivable1659

possiblea1674

conceptiblea1676

cogitable1678

chance1778

it's an idea1841

may1849

might1850

thought1857

possibly1881

shot1923

1881 Chicago Tribune 5 June 4/7 Vennor's prophecies, when carefully looked at, will be found to consist principally of ‘abouts’, ‘perhapses’, and ‘possiblys’.

1909 Iowa Recorder 4 Aug. 4/2 [The fleet] might be reached at a greater distance, but in time of war mights and possiblys and maybes are not very substantial things to depend upon.

1931 Amer. Hist. Rev. 36 378 [The introduction] disregards the ‘possiblys’ and ‘I fancys’ with which he continually protected himself.

1972 Slavic Rev. 31 200 The use of so many ‘mays’, ‘mights’, and ‘possiblys’ breaks the chapter down into a series of seemingly disconnected conjectures.

1995 G. G. Newlin Everyone in Dickens I. 376 In the Contents following, * indicates that the piece is ‘possibly’ by CD. E/L is a special case: the other ‘possiblys’, as well as the ‘probablys’ in the headings to some pieces, are the judgments of the Pilgrim Edition editors as noted.

2001 J. Diamond C: Because Cowards get Cancer Too (new ed.) iv. 87 And all the time there are the qualifiers: the probablys and the possiblys and the weasel statistics.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	possibly
释义	possiblyadv.n. Brit. /ˈpɒsᵻbli/, U.S. /ˈpɑsəbli/ Forms: Middle English possibily, Middle English– possibly, 1500s possiblye, 1600s possiblie; Scottish pre-1700 posibelie, pre-1700 possabillie, pre-1700 posseblie, pre-1700 possibillie, pre-1700 possibilly, pre-1700 possiblie, pre-1700 pre-1700– possibly. Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: possible adj., -ly suffix². Etymology: < possible adj. + -ly suffix². Compare Middle French, French possiblement (1337; now rare). A. adv. 1. a. In a possible manner; in accordance with what can or may exist, occur, be done, etc.; within the range of possibility; by any existing power or means, in any possible way.Chiefly, now only, used as an intensifier of can or could. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > possibility > [adverb] welleOE possiblyc1400 possiblea1425 contingentlyc1430 potentiallyc1450 perhapsa1535 as and when1565 conceivably1625 if you like1813 c1400 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Brussels) (1940) Introd. f. 75 Alle the conclusions that han ben fownden, or ellis possibly [v.r. possibily] myghten be fownden. 1583 T. Stocker tr. Tragicall Hist. Ciuile Warres Lowe Countries i. 31 Sent..for as much Artillery as was possiblye to be had. a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) ii. ii. 3 When possibly I can, I will returne. View more context for this quotation 1625 R. Montagu Appello Cæsarem 61 The first thing he..possibly and conceiveably could doe. a1650 S. D'Ewes Jrnls. Parl. Queen Elizabeth anno 1571 (1682) 174/2 Of some other transgressions, her Majesty may dispense afore with; but for usury, or to grant that usury may be used, she possibly cannot. a1680 S. Butler Genuine Remains (1759) I. 14 Every Man amaz'd anew, How it could possibly be true. 1710 J. Addison Tatler No. 243. ¶ 6 He cannot possibly live till Five in the Morning. 1767 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. (new ed.) II. 295 A deed is a writing sealed and delivered by the parties..it is called a deed..because it is the most solemn and authentic act that a man can possibly perform, with relation to the disposal of his property. 1806 T. S. Surr Winter in London III. iii. 136 No rank, no sex, could possibly receive exemption from the general crush. 1879 C. Hibbs in Cassell's Techn. Educator IV. 263/2 As desirous of improving the style of their work as any art-critic could possibly wish them to be. 1902 W. S. Maugham Mrs. Craddock xv. 154 Her heart sank and she asked herself frantically how she could possibly get through it. 1939 G. Greene Confidential Agent i. iii. 121 ‘I know,’ D. said, ‘you have only my word for this—but what possibly have I to gain?’ 1984 D. Leavitt Family Dancing 206 Then she fell asleep, wondering to herself what kind of book Nathan could ever possibly write. 2004 Independent 17 Aug. 26/4 The tally that early couldn't possibly be meaningful as..votes in richer neighbourhoods throughout Venezuela get tabulated far sooner than in poor neighbourhoods. †b. Used for possible in adverbial phrases, as if possibly, soon as possibly, by all means possibly. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > possibility > [adjective] possiblec1384 possibly1542 resortible1586 feasible1611 mortal1616 maybe1687 poss1853 1542 Acts Parl. Scotl. (1814) II. 416/2 It was nocht posseblie to thaim to haif..informit thar procuratoris. ?1570 T. Ingelend Disobedient Child sig. B.ii^v Therfore out of hande, with all spede posybly, To haue a wife (me thynke) wolde do well. 1583 T. Stocker tr. Tragicall Hist. Ciuile Warres Lowe Countries iii. 117 b That all South Holland, if it were possibly, might bee laide vnder the water. 1640 W. Habington Hist. Edward IV 137 Soone as possibly, he was dismist. 1656 Ld. Orrery Parthenissa V. iii. iv. 278 I..[was] somewhat moved..if possibly, to make her think she was mistook. 1670 G. Havers tr. G. Leti Il Cardinalismo di Santa Chiesa i. i. 16 It is the custom of the Italians, to constrain and reserve themselves as much as possibly. 1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones VI. xi. 268 He then declared an Intention of going..to Fitzpatrick's Lodgings, in order to prevail with him, if possibly, to consent to a Separation from his Wife. View more context for this quotation †c. According to one's ability; as much or as well as one can. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > manner of action > effort or exertion > [adverb] > as much or well as one can possibly1657 1657 O. Cromwell Speech 8 Apr. in Writings & Speeches (1947) (modernized text) IV. 454 You have provided for every one of them as a Free Man, as a man that doth (act) possibly, rationally, and conscientiously. 2. Qualifying a statement, and expressing contingency or uncertainty (cf. possible adj. 3): according to what may be (as far as one knows); perhaps, maybe. Frequently used as an intensifier of may or might. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > possibility > [adverb] > perhaps is wenc897 wen isc897 peradventurec1300 peradventurec1325 perchancec1350 uphapa1375 percasea1393 lightly1395 in casea1398 maybea1400 may chancea1400 may-falla1400 may-fortunea1400 may-tidea1400 perhapa1464 happen1487 perhapsc1520 percase1523 ablea1525 by chance1526 mayhap1533 fortunea1535 belikelya1551 haps1570 mayhappen1577 perhappen1578 possibly1600 not impossibly1667 ables1673 aunters1673 aiblins1720 p'rapsa1745 aunterens1825 mebbe1825 yes-no1898 yimkin1925 ja-nee1937 1600 E. Blount tr. G. F. di Conestaggio Hist. Uniting Portugall to Castill 18 With greater libertie then possiblie reason woulde allowe. 1692 R. South 12 Serm. I. 409 A man by mere peradventure lights into company, possibly is driven into an House by a shower of Rain for present Shelter. 1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 98. ¶2 The Women might possibly have carried this Gothick Building much higher. 1796 Hull Advertiser 9 Jan. 1/4 A rescue and a riot by the rest of the corpse might possibly be the result. 1847 C. Brontë Jane Eyre I. iii. 35 Possibly I might have some poor, low relations. 1877 A. Bain Compan. Higher Eng. Gram. (ed. 2) 198 We shall possibly come. 1899 T. Nicol Recent Archæol. & Bible v. 206 A Hittite woman was possibly the mother of Solomon. 1945 E. Bowen in New Writing & Daylight Sept. 27 Possibly they could not all hear; some had been merely drawn to the windows by the sensation of something going on. 1956 K. Amis Let. 24 Sept. (2000) 479 You might possibly have got her pants down if you'd tried hard. 1983 ‘A. T. Ellis’ Other Side of Fire (1985) xvi. 101 Normally she would have explained to Edith where she was going and, quite possibly, why. B. n. An instance of the use of ‘possibly’ to qualify a statement. Also: something that could possibly happen; a possibility as distinct from a probability or certainty. Cf. perhaps n. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > possibility > [noun] possibilityc1385 reason1567 possibleness1642 possibly1881 the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > possibility > [noun] > a possible thing or circumstance possibilityc1460 perhapsa1535 potential1587 potentiality1587 maybe1598 contingencya1626 contingent1655 conceivable1659 possiblea1674 conceptiblea1676 cogitable1678 chance1778 it's an idea1841 may1849 might1850 thought1857 possibly1881 shot1923 1881 Chicago Tribune 5 June 4/7 Vennor's prophecies, when carefully looked at, will be found to consist principally of ‘abouts’, ‘perhapses’, and ‘possiblys’. 1909 Iowa Recorder 4 Aug. 4/2 [The fleet] might be reached at a greater distance, but in time of war mights and possiblys and maybes are not very substantial things to depend upon. 1931 Amer. Hist. Rev. 36 378 [The introduction] disregards the ‘possiblys’ and ‘I fancys’ with which he continually protected himself. 1972 Slavic Rev. 31 200 The use of so many ‘mays’, ‘mights’, and ‘possiblys’ breaks the chapter down into a series of seemingly disconnected conjectures. 1995 G. G. Newlin Everyone in Dickens I. 376 In the Contents following, * indicates that the piece is ‘possibly’ by CD. E/L is a special case: the other ‘possiblys’, as well as the ‘probablys’ in the headings to some pieces, are the judgments of the Pilgrim Edition editors as noted. 2001 J. Diamond C: Because Cowards get Cancer Too (new ed.) iv. 87 And all the time there are the qualifiers: the probablys and the possiblys and the weasel statistics. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < adv.n.c1400
随便看	θ48174 θ48175 θ48176 θ48177 θ48178 θ48179 θ4818 θ48180 θ48181 θ48182 θ48183 θ48184 θ48185 θ48186 θ48187 θ48188 θ48189 θ4819 θ48190 θ48191 θ48192 θ48193 θ48194 θ48195 θ48196