possibilism

The story

1. French · borrowed frompossibilisme
2. English todaypossibilism

Borrowed from French possibilisme. By surface analysis, Latin possibil|is, ~e (“that can be done”) + -ism, from Latin po|ssum, ~(te)sse, ~tuī (“be able”) + -ibil|is, ~e (“-able”). First attested in 1883.

First known use, by meaning

• from 1880s The belief that possible things exist, as well as actual things.
• from 1920s The theory that the geographical environment sets certain constraints, but culture is otherwise determined by social conditions.