“possible” in Latin

quod fieri or effici potest (that may happen or can be done): quod per rerum naturam admitti potest (that is not against the nature of things). ☞ These words Paullus, Sent., 3, 4, § 1. very suitably uses as a circumlocution for the unclassical possibilis, which Quint., 3, 8, 25, terms an appellatio dura, and can be endured only as a philosophical technical term. Potis, pote are not adjectives, but adverbs, and occur (rarely in Cic., more frequently in the comic writers) only in the phrase potis est and pote for potest, potest esse, or fieri. A possible case, conditio, quae per rerum naturam admitti potest; also, simply conditio (Cic., C. Rabir. perd., 5, 16): it is possible, i. e., (α) it can be, esse potest; also potest alone; e.g., it is possible that others believe so, potest ut alii ita arbitrentur; Vid: Ter., Andr., 2, 1, 27: (β) it can happen, be done, fieri or effici potest. Also frequently simply potest (for fieri potest); e.g., so little is this possible now, ut enim id non potest. How is it possible? qui potest? if it is possible, si potest: as much as possible, quantum potest (poterit, etc.); Vid: Cic., Eccl., p. 102 sq.: it is possible that, etc., fieri potest, ut, etc.; est ut, etc. (see Ramsh., § 184, 1): that this is very possible, id facile effici posse: (γ) it may have happened, factum esse potest; accidisse potest: is it possible? = (α) what do you say? quid ais? (β) what do you mean? ain’? ain’ tu? It is not ppossible but that I, etc., fieri non potest ut non or quin, etc.; facere non possum, ut non (ut nihil, etc.): a thing is possible to me, alicujus rei faciendae facultatem habeo; possum aliquid facere: if it be at all or by any means possible, si ulla ratione efficere possum (potes, etc.); si ullo modo fieri poterit. [☞ The Latin also expresses our “if possible,” in many cases, by utique; as Quint., 10, 1, 20, perlectus liber utique ex integro resumendus, should, if possible, be read over again; Vid: Herzog, in loc. cit. p. 99.] As far as possible, quoad fieri potest or poterit: as... as possible, quam with a superlative; e.g., as early as possible, quam maturrime; or by quam... potero; e.g., I will do it as shortly as possible, agam quam brevissime potero: in every possible manner, quacumque ratione; omnibus rebus: as possible, fieri potest ut, etc. (it is possible that, etc.), or by fore (especially with putare, exspectare, pollicere, and like words); e.g., what sight do we imagine as possible, if, etc., quod tandem spectaculum fore putamus, cum, etc. (Cic., Tusc., 1, 20, 45): all possible, omnes, omnia: all possible kinds of torture, omnia exempla cruciatus: to try, or to do, everything possible, omnia facere, or omnia experiri; nihil inexpertum omittere; nihil sibi reliqui facere in aliqua re (facienda): “not possible” may sometimes be translated by inveniri posse, esse negare, etc.; e.g., no third supposition is possible; or, it is not possible to make a third supposition, tertium nihil inveniri potest, or tertium esse quidquam nego: as far as possible, quoad ejus fieri potest: as well as possible, quantum or quam maxime possum (as much as I can): quantum in me situm est (as much as lies in me): pro viribus (according to my strength: ☞ not pro virili parte).