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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Possibly \Pos"si*bly\, adverb 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.
Can we . . . possibly his love desert? --Milton.
When possibly I can, I will return. --Shak.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
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 mought is obsolete, except as a provincial word.]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: (a) 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. (b) Liberty; permission; allowance.
Thou mayst be no longer steward. --Luke xvi. 2. (c) Contingency or liability; possibility or probability.
Though what he learns he speaks, and may advance Some general maxims, or be right by chance. --Pope. (d) Modesty, courtesy, or concession, or a desire to soften a question or remark.
How old may Phillis be, you ask. --Prior. (e) 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}.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
possibly
adverb
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}]
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