different between perhaps vs haply

English

Alternative forms

• perhap

Etymology

From Middle English perhappes, perhappous, variant of earlier perhap (“perhaps, possibly”), equivalent to per +? hap (“chance, coincidence”) +? -s.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /p??hæps/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /p??hæps/
• (General American, Received Pronunciation) (colloquial, nonstandard) IPA^(key): /?p?æps/
• Rhymes: -æps
• Hyphenation: per?haps

Adverb

perhaps (not comparable)

1. Modifies a verb, indicating a lack of certainty.

2. (rare) By chance.

Synonyms

• belike
• maybe
• mayhap
• mayhaps
• peradventure
• perchance

Related terms

• perhapser

Translations

Noun

perhaps (plural perhapses)

1. An uncertainty.
   • 1870, The Missionary Herald (volumes 66-67, page 167)

     I cannot conceive what atheism, or skepticism, or positivism could do for me now, with their negations, and endless and contradictory perhapses, and perhapses, and perhapses.

English

Etymology

From Middle English happely, hapliche, happeliche; equivalent to hap +? -ly.

Adverb

haply (literary, archaic)

1. By accident or luck.
   • 1886-88, Richard F. Burton, The Supplemental Nights to the Thousand Nights and a Night:

     But as soon as her son espied her, bowl in hand, he thought that haply something untoward had befallen her, but he would not ask of aught until such time as she had set down the bowl, when she acquainted him with that which had occurred […]

2. Perhaps.
   • 1886-88, Richard F. Burton, The Supplemental Nights to the Thousand Nights and a Night:

     "O my lord the Sultan," said the other [the Wazir], "verily women be weakly of wits, and haply this goodwife cometh hither to complain before thee against her goodman or some of her people."

Related terms

• hap

Translations

Anagrams

• phyla