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The Collaborative International Dictionary
peradventure

May \May\ (m[=a]), v. [imp. Might (m[imac]t)] [AS. pres. m[ae]g 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 mought is obsolete, except as a provincial word.]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:

  1. Ability, competency, or possibility; -- now oftener expressed by can.

    How may a man, said he, with idle speech, Be won to spoil the castle of his health!
    --Spenser.

    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.

    For of all sad words of tongue or pen The saddest are these: ``It might have been.''
    --Whittier.

  2. Liberty; permission; allowance.

    Thou mayst be no longer steward.
    --Luke xvi. 2.

  3. Contingency or liability; possibility or probability.

    Though what he learns he speaks, and may advance Some general maxims, or be right by chance.
    --Pope.

  4. Modesty, courtesy, or concession, or a desire to soften a question or remark.

    How old may Phillis be, you ask.
    --Prior.

  5. Desire or wish, as in prayer, imprecation, benediction, and the like. ``May you live happily.''
    --Dryden.

    May be, & It may be, are used as equivalent to possibly, perhaps, maybe, by chance, peradventure. See 1st Maybe.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
peradventure

1620s, from Middle English peraventure (mid-15c.), from per auenture (late 13c.), from Old French par aventure (see adventure). Refashioned as though from Latin.

Wiktionary
peradventure

adv. (context archaic English) perchance or maybe; perhaps; supposing n. chance, doubt or uncertainty

WordNet
peradventure

adv. 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: possibly, perchance, perhaps, maybe, mayhap]

Usage examples of "peradventure".

Incontinently came Thrasillus, the detestable demander of sodaine pleasure, and wearied the closed eares of Charites with talke of marriage, but she gently refused his communication, and coloring the matter, with passing craft in the middest of his earnest desires gan say, Thrasillus you shall understand that yet the face of your brother and my husband, is alwayes before mine eies, I smell yet the Cinamon sent of his pretious body, I yet feele Lepolemus alive in my heart : wherefore you shall do well if you grant to me miserable woman, necessarie time to bewaile his death, that after the residue of a few moneths, the whole yeare may be expired, which thing toucheth as well my shame as your wholsome profit, lest peradventure by your speed and quicke marriage we should justly raise and provoke the spirit of my husband to worke our destruction.

If Lou Macon loved Landis it was beyond peradventure that Landis was not breaking his heart because of the girl.

Peradventure the actual food consists of the micro-organisms in the slush and on the superficies of the unassimilatable solids.

And peradventure it may be that Oonai the city of lutes and dancing is even the fair Aira thou seekest, for it is told that thou hast not known Aira since the old days, and a name often changeth.

However, as she leaves my solidest authors also on their heads, men beyond the peradventure of such antics, I must consider it but a part of her carelessness, for which I have warned her twice.

A more sedate condition prevails in the demeanour of the birds, due peradventure to domestic responsibilities.

Then spake young Stephen orgulous of mother Church that would cast him out of her bosom, of law of canons, of Lilith, patron of abortions, of bigness wrought by wind of seeds of brightness or by potency of vampires mouth to mouth or, as Virgilius saith, by the influence of the occident or by the reek of moonflower or an she lie with a woman which her man has but lain with, effectu secuto, or peradventure in her bath according to the opinions of Averroes and Moses Maimonides.

I would tell you if it were lawfull for me to tell, you should know if it were convenient for you to heare, but both thy eares, and my tongue shall incur the like paine of rash curiositie: Howbeit, I will content thy mind for this present time, which peradventure is somewhat religious and given to some devotion, listen therefore and beleeve it to be true: Thou shalt understand that I approached neere unto Hell, even to the gates of Proserpina, and after that, I was ravished throughout all the Element, I returned to my proper place: About midnight I saw the Sun shine, I saw likewise the gods celestiall and gods infernall, before whom I presented my selfe, and worshipped them: Behold now have I told thee, which although thou hast heard, yet it is necessarie thou conceale it.

Besides, there is noking, be his cause never so spotless, if it come tothe arbitrement of swords, can try it out with allunspotted soldiers: some peradventure have on themthe guilt of premeditated and contrived murder.

I shall say you, said Sir Gawaine, it beseemeth evil a good knight to despise all ladies and gentlewomen, and peradventure though he hate you he hath some certain cause, and peradventure he loveth in some other places ladies and gentlewomen, and to be loved again, an he be such a man of prowess as ye speak of.

He stated that it was his painful duty to prove, beyond peradventure of doubt, that the defendant had had sufficient motive to kill her uncle, that she had more than once threatened to kill her uncle, and that she had with deliberation killed her uncle and attempted to dispose of his remains by cremating them in a billet of gold.

Peradventure she will soon be fatigated with her journey, and will tarry in some inn, in order to renovate her corporeal functions.

If it were so that our fathers or the good man of the house had within seven years after his marriage purchased a mattress or flock bed, and thereto a stack of chaff to rest his head upon, he thought himself to be as well lodged as the lord of the town, that peradventure lay seldom in a bed of down or whole feathers, so well were they content, and with such base kind of furniture: which also is not very much amended as yet in some parts of Bedfordshire, and elsewhere, further off from our southern parts.

But if peradventure such were the state of things that the interest of the commonwealth required all slaughter of beasts should be forborne for some while, in order to the increasing of the stock of cattle that had been destroyed by some extraordinary murrain, who sees not that the magistrate, in such a case, may forbid all his subjects to kill any calves for any use whatsoever?

Immediately they replied with five dots and two dashes and we knew beyond peradventure of a doubt that we were in communication with the Red Planet, but it required twenty-two years of unremitting effort, with the most brilliant intellects of two worlds concentrated upon it, to evolve and perfect an intelligent system of inter-communication between the two planets.