*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of maybe

From an ellipsis of Middle English it may be, equivalent to may + be. Compare mayhap.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

Something that is possibly true. · An answer that shows neither agreement nor disagreement. · A future event that may or may not happen.

adv

Perhaps, possibly. · Perhaps that is true (expressing no commitment to a decision or a neutral viewpoint to a statement). · Certainly.

adj

Possible; uncertain.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From an ellipsis of Middle English it may be, equivalent to may + be. Compare mayhap.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Compound componentmayen
  • Compound componentbeen
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "",
        "4": "it may be"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English it may be"
    },
    {
      "name": "compound",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "may",
        "3": "be"
      },
      "expansion": "may + be"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "may",
      "may#English"
    ],
    [
      "be",
      "be#English"
    ],
    [
      "mayhap",
      "mayhap#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Something that is possibly true.",
        "An answer that shows neither agreement nor disagreement.",
        "A future event that may or may not happen."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "7b869969231673431e007717774c6b9ae8a79fbb3cabe843955867c9d07c4dc7",
      "rawRecordSha256": "9d6da86d8789d3873db00adef4d362a986c197198edce80641e3a4ef77bc46cd",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 186377
    },
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "Perhaps, possibly.",
        "Perhaps that is true (expressing no commitment to a decision or a neutral viewpoint to a statement).",
        "Certainly."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable",
        "UK"
      ],
      "recordId": "ad9fdb1693576a24bf4e3c71df93abfc1e9803f9f35051a53e07a72fac74ebce",
      "rawRecordSha256": "98b14f82eeba242905a8c87ac545063e23f834f0d222e4b21db2bbf0eb576c05",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 186375
    },
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Possible; uncertain."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "c4e1605b44dcef4066b0535a5bc5320cdb72e078a44e544f29395874d079bf77",
      "rawRecordSha256": "1eac9a8c740543b6126a78a4b2c85f56c0db5e924990e031fef1b265005ba89c",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 186376
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for maybe →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-bWF5YmU