Etymograph

English

possibility

Possibility comes from Middle English possibilite, from Late Latin possibilitās, from possibilis ‘possible’, from possum ‘to be able’, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pótis ‘master’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pótis1‘master’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*potis1‘master’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*possom1reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpossum1‘to be able to’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpossibilis2‘possible’
  6. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEpossibilitās2
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400possibilite2
  8. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600possibilité2
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500possibilite2‘possibility’
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1593possibility2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin possibilis
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English possibility
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1593, anonymous author, The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […]: “VVere Iacke Strawe a liue againe, And I in…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pótisWiktionary, Latin possibilis‘master’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*potisWiktionary, Latin possibilis‘master’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*possomWiktionary, Latin possibilisreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpossumWiktionary, Latin possibilis‘to be able to’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpossibilisWiktionary, English possibility‘possible’
  6. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEpossibilitāsWiktionary, English possibility
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400possibiliteWiktionary, English possibility
  8. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600possibilitéWiktionary, English possibility
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500possibiliteWiktionary, English possibility‘possibility’
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1593possibilityWiktionary, English possibility. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1593, anonymous author, The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […]: “VVere Iacke Strawe a liue againe, And I in…”

Equivalent to possible + -ity

Proto-Italic *possom

Latin possum ‘to be able’

Latin possibilis ‘possible’

Old French possible

Middle English possible

English possible

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *pótis ‘master, ruler’

possess, 4 more

through Proto-Italic *potis ‘master, in control of’

potential, potent, potency, impotence, 3 more

through Proto-Italic *possom

power, 7 more

through Latin possum ‘to be able to’

impotent, 7 more

through Latin possibilis ‘possible’

impossible, 4 more

Today it means

noun The quality of being possible.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “possibility”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin possibilis. 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 / possibility

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