perhappenstance

P3E1R1H4A1P3P3E1N1S1T1A1N1C3E1

adverb

Perhaps.

Scrabble 26

Meanings

adverbperhappenstance (not comparable)
  1. humorousnonstandardnot comparablerarePerhaps.

    Or perhappenstance, the Three Stooges?

    2003 December 13, Coin Saver, “F/A barber quarter”, in rec.collecting.coins (Usenet)
    3 more examples

    "Shove it," Sam concluded, and then went out, but came in soon, from the numbing cold of the Iranian plain, where he had been assistant-in-the-way in a half-cracked but hell-bent search for the elusive and abominable, so-called, snowman, or a facsimile reasonably thereof, perhappenstance, sponsored by a genial Texas oilman who was bored with searching just underground, and wanted to get into something deeper, or higher, depending upon the depletion of his resources, his mind among them.

    1976 Spring, George W. Smyth, “Bending Hell”, in South Dakota Review, volume 14, number 1, Vermillion, S.D.: University of South Dakota, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 90

    and just perhappenstance why shouldn;t^([sic]) YOU 'get over it' and stop supporting plagarism?^([sic])

    2001 February 23, JnyVee., “Eminem Bites”, in rec.audio.pro (Usenet)

    Morgan probably ran away at age fourteen to live adrift in the cities, perhappenstance to dine exclusively on Twinkies, a recreational breakfast food known to the state of California to induce criminal behaviors.

    2004, Bernard M. Patten, The Blood of a Million Christs, Bookman, →ISBN, page 126

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*per-der.?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*pér
  3. Proto-Italic*per
  4. Latinper
  5. Old Frenchpar
  6. Middle Englishper-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*kob-
  8. Proto-Germanic*hampą
  9. Old Norsehapp
  10. Middle Englishhap
  11. Middle Englishperhap
  12. Middle Englishperhappes
  13. Middle Englishperhap
  14. Middle Englishperhappous
  15. Englishperhaps
  16. Proto-Germanic*hampą
  17. Proto-Germanic*hampijaną
  18. Old Norse*happader.?
  19. Proto-Germanic*hampijaną
  20. Old Norse*heppader.?
  21. Old Englishhæppander.?
  22. Middle Englishhappen
  23. Middle Englishhappenen
  24. Englishhappen
  25. Englishhappening
  26. Proto-Indo-European*(s)ker-
  27. Ancient Greekκίρκος (kírkos)
  28. Latincircus
  29. Latincircum
  30. Latincircum-
  31. Proto-Indo-European*steh₂-
  32. Proto-Indo-European*sth₂éh₁yeti
  33. Proto-Italic*staējō
  34. Proto-Italic*staēō
  35. Latinstō
  36. Latincircumstō
  37. Latincircumstāns
  38. Latincircumstāntia
  39. Old Frenchcirconstance
  40. Middle Englishcircumstaunce
  41. Englishcircumstance
  42. Englishhappenstance
  43. Englishperhappenstance

Blend of perhaps + happenstance.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

perhappenstance. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perhappenstance

MLA

“perhappenstance.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perhappenstance. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “perhappenstance,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perhappenstance.

Source: perhappenstance on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.