Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The fact or state of being possible.
  • noun Something that is possible.
  • noun One that is capable of being chosen or of being made real.
  • noun Potentiality for favorable or interesting results.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The mode of that which is possible; the fact of being possible.
  • noun A thing possible; that which may take place or come into being.
  • noun Specifically, in law, a chance or expectation; an uncertain thing which may or may not happen.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The quality or state of being possible; the power of happening, being, or existing.
  • noun That which is possible; a contingency; a thing or event that may not happen; a contingent interest, as in real or personal estate.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The quality of being possible.
  • noun A thing possible; that which may take place or come into being.
  • noun An option or choice, usually used in context with future events.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun capability of existing or happening or being true
  • noun a future prospect or potential
  • noun a tentative insight into the natural world; a concept that is not yet verified but that if true would explain certain facts or phenomena
  • noun a possible alternative

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English possibilitee, from Old French possibilite, from Late Latin possibilitas ("possibility"), from Latin possibilis ("possible"); see possible.

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