Possibility

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Possibility \Pos`si*bil"i*ty\, n.; pl. {Possibilities}. [F.
     possibilit['e], L. possibilitas.]
     1. The quality or state of being possible; the power of
        happening, being, or existing. "All possibility of error."
        --Hooker. "Latent possibilities of excellence." --Johnson.
        [1913 Webster]


  
     2. That which is possible; a contingency; a thing or event
        that may not happen; a contingent interest, as in real or
        personal estate. --South. Burrill.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  possibility
       n 1: a future prospect or potential; "this room has great
            possibilities"
       2: capability of existing or happening or being true; "there is
          a possibility that his sense of smell has been impaired"
          [syn: {possibleness}] [ant: {impossibility}]
       3: a tentative theory about the natural world; a concept that
          is not yet verified but that if true would explain certain
          facts or phenomena; "a scientific hypothesis that survives
          experimental testing becomes a scientific theory"; "he
          proposed a fresh theory of alkalis that later was accepted
          in chemical practices" [syn: {hypothesis}, {theory}]
       4: a possible alternative; "bankruptcy is always a possibility"
          [syn: {possible action}, {opening}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  44 Moby Thesaurus words for "possibility":
     admissibility, aptitude, aptness, best bet, capacity, chance,
     conceivability, contingency, delitescence, dormancy, eventuality,
     favorable prospect, feasibility, good chance, good opportunity,
     good possibility, latency, latent content, latent meaningfulness,
     latentness, liability, liableness, likelihood, likeliness,
     main chance, obligation, odds, odds-on, odds-on chance,
     opportunity, plausibility, possibilities, potential, potentiality,
     probability, promise, proneness, prospect, sporting chance,
     sure bet, sure thing, virtuality, weakness, well-grounded hope
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  POSSIBILITY. An uncertain thing which may happen; Lilly's Reg. h.t.; or it 
  is a contingent interest in real or personal estate. 1 Mad. Ch. 549. 
       2. Possibilities are near as when an estate is limited to one after the 
  death of another; or remote, as that one man shall be married to a woman, 
  and then that she shall die, and he be married to another. 1 Fonb. Eq. 212, 
  n. e; l6 Vin. Ab. h.t., p. 460; 2 Co. 51 a. 
       3. Possibilities are also divided into, 1. A possibility coupled with 
  an interest. This may, of course, be sold, assigned, transmitted or devised; 
  such a possibility occurs in executory devises, and in contingent, springing 
  or executory uses. 
       4.-2. A bare possibility, or hope of succession; this is the case of 
  an heir apparent, during the life of his ancestor. It is evident that he has 
  no right which he can assign, devise, or even, release. 
       5.-3. A possibility' or mere contingent interest, as a devise to Paul 
  if he survive Peter. Dane's Ab. c. 1, a 5, Sec. 2, and the cases there 
  cited.