perchance

[per-chans, -chahns]

adverb

1. Literary.,  perhaps; maybe; possibly.

2. Archaic.,  by chance.

perchance

/ pəˈtʃɑːns /

adverb

1. perhaps; possibly

2. by chance; accidentally

Word History and Origins

Origin of perchance¹

1300–50; Middle English, variant of par chance by chance < Anglo-French. See per, chance

Word History and Origins

Origin of perchance¹

C14: from Anglo-French par chance; see _per , _chance

Example Sentences

And later, instead of “To die; to sleep .. perchance to dream! Ay there’s the rub,” we hear “To die, to sleep – is that all? Ay, all. No! To dream – ay, there it goes.”

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More than a few times, Davis said, the author was stopped by readers who asked whether, perchance, he knew their grandfather or uncle.

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No one has wanted to be the guy who hands the keys back to the ousted enemy — perchance to resume its soccer stadium mass executions and brutal repression of women.

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British couples consciously uncouple so that they might perchance hook up with other people in the imported reality series “Singletown.”

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Coronavirus: I hail from pangolin, perchance from bat.

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