forsĭtan — Lewis & Short
forsĭtan, adv.contr. from fors sit an; v. fors, A.; cf. also: forsan, fortan, and fortassean,
I perhaps, peradventure.
I Usually in principal clauses.
A With subj. (class. and freq.;
only so in Cicero): si altera illaec magis instabit, forsitan nos reiciat,Ter. Phorm. 4, 5, 5:
longiorem orationem causa forsitan postulet, tua certe natura breviorem,Cic. Lig. 12, 38 (al. fortasse postulat, v. Halm. ad loc.):
forsitan quaeratis, qui iste terror sit, etc.,id. Rosc. Am. 2, 5; Verg. G. 2, 288:
forsitan quispiam dixerit: Nonne, etc.,Cic. Off. 3, 6, 29 (for which:
fortasse dixerit quispiam,id. de Sen. 3, 8):
forsitan occurrat illud, etc.,id. de Or. 3, 9, 34:
major ars aliqua forsitan esset requirenda,id. ib. 2, 45, 189;
1, 15, 67: illud forsitan quaerendum sit, num, etc.,id. Off. 1, 45, 159:
haec ipsa forsitan fuerint non necessaria,id. Brut. 13, 52:
forsitan meliores illi accusatores habendi sint,Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 38, § 58:
nimium forsitan haec illi mirentur atque efferant,id. ib. 2, 4, 56, § 124.—With sed:
quae forsitan vobis parvae esse videantur: sed, etc.,Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 21 fin.; id. Att. 12, 18, 1; so with subj., Liv. 3, 25, 9:
quae forsitan laus sit, verum tamen,Cic. Brut. 8, 33:
forsitan dicatis,Liv. 31, 31, 19:
matrem insimulare forsitan fas non sit,id. 39, 10, 4; 31, 38, 4; 40, 15, 4; Quint. 2, 16, 11.—
B With indic. (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose;
not in Cic.): forsitan et publica, sua certe liberata fide, in castra redierunt,Liv. 9, 11, 13; 22, 23, 5; cf. Sall. J. 106, 3:
incipies forsitan justus esse rex,Curt. 7, 4, 17:
forsitan non periculosius est tacere quam dicere,id. 7, 1, 37; 4, 14, 20; Liv. 21, 40: forsitan haec aliquis, nam sunt quoque, parva vocabit, Ov. R. Am. 419:
forsitan ventos timebas,id. F. 2, 97.—
II In dependent clauses (rare), with ut:
neque id facio, ut quibusdam forsitan videor, etc.,Cic. Fam. 1, 8, 2.—With quam:
videor jam liberius loqui debere quam forsitan ipsi velint,Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 4, § 11.—With quod: decrevi ad te scribere, quod forsitan minus ea perspicias, Serv. ap. Cic. Fam. 4, 5, 1.—With cum:
minime consentaneum est, cum bello tuo forsitan vix sufficias,Liv. 10, 18, 3 (but not in Lucr. 5, 610, where the correct read. is forsitan e rosea, etc.; v. Lachm. p. 302).