Maarschijnlijke

Maarschijnlijke is a Dutch term historically used as an adjective meaning "likely" or "probable." In contemporary standard Dutch, the form maarschijnlijke is generally considered obsolete or dialectal, while waarschijnlijke is the common attributive form in modern texts. The word also appears in the related adverbial sense through the modern equivalent waarschijnlijk, which means "probably" or "likely."

The form maarschijnlijke originates from the same root as waarschijnlijke, itself derived from a concept of appearance or likelihood, combining elements that convey truth or probability with the suffix used for adjectives. Because spelling in Dutch varied widely before orthography was standardized, maarschijnlijke coexisted with waarschijnlijke in older writings and regional texts. In today’s standard language, maarschijnlijke is rarely encountered outside of historical quotations or linguistic discussions about diachronic spelling.

Usage and examples: when translating or interpreting older Dutch sources, maarschijnlijke can be read as the equivalent of the modern waarschijnlijke, as in “de maarschijnlijke oorzaak” = “de waarschijnlijke/probable oorzaak.” In current usage, writers would typically prefer waarschijnlijke for adjectives and waarschijnlijk for adverbs, avoiding the archaic form in formal writing.

Notes: maarschijnlijke is not recognized as a separate modern word with a distinct meaning; it is primarily of historical or stylistic interest. See also waarschijnlijke and waarschijnlijk for related terms.