Possibly

3 definitions found

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

  Possibly \Pos"si*bly\, adv.
     In a possible manner; by possible means; especially, by
     extreme, remote, or improbable intervention, change, or
     exercise of power; by a chance; perhaps; as, possibly he may
     recover.
     [1913 Webster]


  
           Can we . . . possibly his love desert?   --Milton.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           When possibly I can, I will return.      --Shak.
     [1913 Webster]

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

  May \May\ (m[=a]), v. [imp. {Might} (m[imac]t)] [AS. pres. maeg
     I am able, pret. meahte, mihte; akin to D. mogen, G.
     m["o]gen, OHG. mugan, magan, Icel. mega, Goth. magan, Russ.
     moche. [root]103. Cf. {Dismay}, {Main} strength, {Might}. The
     old imp. mought is obsolete, except as a provincial word.]
     An auxiliary verb qualifying the meaning of another verb, by
     expressing:
     (a) Ability, competency, or possibility; -- now oftener
         expressed by {can}.
         [1913 Webster]
  
               How may a man, said he, with idle speech,
               Be won to spoil the castle of his health!
                                                    --Spenser.
         [1913 Webster]
  
               For what he [the king] may do is of two kinds; what
               he may do as just, and what he may do as possible.
                                                    --Bacon.
         [1913 Webster]
  
               For of all sad words of tongue or pen
               The saddest are these: "It might have been."
                                                    --Whittier.
         [1913 Webster]
     (b) Liberty; permission; allowance.
         [1913 Webster]
  
               Thou mayst be no longer steward.     --Luke xvi. 2.
         [1913 Webster]
     (c) Contingency or liability; possibility or probability.
         [1913 Webster]
  
               Though what he learns he speaks, and may advance
               Some general maxims, or be right by chance. --Pope.
         [1913 Webster]
     (d) Modesty, courtesy, or concession, or a desire to soften a
         question or remark.
         [1913 Webster]
  
               How old may Phillis be, you ask.     --Prior.
         [1913 Webster]
     (e) Desire or wish, as in prayer, imprecation, benediction,
         and the like. "May you live happily." --Dryden.
         [1913 Webster]
  
     {May be}, & {It may be}, are used as equivalent to
        {possibly}, {perhaps}, {maybe}, {by chance},
        {peradventure}. See 1st {Maybe}.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  possibly
       adv 1: by chance; "perhaps she will call tomorrow"; "we may
              possibly run into them at the concert"; "it may
              peradventure be thought that there never was such a
              time" [syn: {perchance}, {perhaps}, {maybe}, {mayhap},
               {peradventure}]
       2: with a possibility of becoming actual; "introducing possibly
          dangerous innovations"; "he is potentially dangerous";
          "potentially useful" [syn: {potentially}]
       3: in a manner or to a degree possible of conceiving; "is it
          possibly true?" [ant: {impossibly}]
       4: to a degree possible of achievement or by possible means;
          "they can't possibly get here in time for the funeral?"
          [ant: {impossibly}]