Definition

1. Adverb:
   • By chance, perhaps, possibly: "haply" is an archaic adverb meaning by accident, by chance, or possibly. It expresses the idea of something happening fortuitously or being merely a possibility.

Usage

"haply" is an archaic word, meaning it is no longer in common use in modern English. It is primarily found in historical texts, poetry, and literature (e.g., the works of Shakespeare). In contemporary English, its meanings are expressed by words like "perhaps," "by chance," "maybe," or "perchance."

Examples

• (He was betrayed by a word perhaps/accidentally overheard.)
• (Perhaps I think of you, and then my condition...) – From Shakespeare's Sonnet 29.
• (We may perhaps meet again in better times.)

Advanced Usage

• Archaic Conjunction: In very old usage, "haply" could sometimes function similarly to "lest" or "in case," introducing a clause of purpose or fear, though this is rare.
  • Speak softly, haply we be heard. (Speak softly, lest we be heard / in case we are heard.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hap (n, archaic): Chance, fortune, or luck.
  • Whatever hap may come. (Whatever chance may come.)
• Hapless (adj): Unfortunate, unlucky (literally, "without hap/luck").
  • The hapless victims of the storm.
• Perhaps (adv): A modern equivalent for expressing possibility.
• Perchance (adv): Another archaic/poetic word for "perhaps" or "by chance."

Synonyms

• Perhaps
• Perchance (archaic/poetic)
• Maybe
• By chance
• Fortuitously

Idioms

No specific modern idioms use "haply." In archaic texts, it often appears in poetic constructions about fate or chance.

Adverb

1. by accident
   • betrayed by a word haply overheard