English
impossible
Impossible comes from Latin impossibilis, from in- ‘not’ + possibilis ‘possible’, from possum ‘to be able’, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pótis ‘master’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pótis1‘master, ruler’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*potis1‘master; able’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*possom1reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpossum1‘to be able to’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpossibilis2‘possible’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEimpossibilis2‘impossible’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400impossible2
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500impossible3‘not able to be done’
- Englishearliest quotation 1610–1611impossible3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin possibilis
- 2 Wiktionary, Middle English impossible
- 3 Wiktionary, English impossible
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1610–1611, William Shakespeare, The Tempest: “Antonio: What impossible matter will he make easy next?…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pótisWiktionary, Latin possibilis‘master, ruler’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*potisWiktionary, Latin possibilis‘master; able’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*possomWiktionary, Latin possibilisreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpossumWiktionary, Latin possibilis‘to be able to’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpossibilisWiktionary, Middle English impossible‘possible’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEimpossibilisWiktionary, Middle English impossible‘impossible’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400impossibleWiktionary, Middle English impossible
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500impossibleWiktionary, English impossible‘not able to be done’
- Englishearliest quotation 1610–1611impossibleWiktionary, English impossible. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1610–1611, William Shakespeare, The Tempest: “Antonio: What impossible matter will he make easy next?…”
Word family
English words that share an ancestor with impossible, grouped by the ancestor they share, most familiar first.
through Proto-Indo-European *pótis ‘master, ruler’
- possess ← possessen ← possesser ← possessus
through Proto-Italic *potis ‘master, in control of’
through Proto-Italic *possom
- power ← poer ← pooir ← potēre ← posse
through Latin possum ‘to be able to’
- impotent ← impotēns ← potēns
through Latin possibilis ‘possible’
- possibility ← possibilite ← possibilité ← possibilite ← possibilitās
25 more relatives in the full family tree
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Today it means
adj Not possible; not able to be done or happen.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “impossible”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin possibilis, Middle English impossible. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *pótis / impossible