likelyhood

likelyhood (countable and uncountable, plural likelyhoods)

1. Obsolete spelling of likelihood, now a common misspelling.
   • 1549 February 10 (Gregorian calendar; indicated as 1548), Erasmus, “The Paraphrase of Erasmus vpon the Gospell of Sainct John. The .xii. Chapter.”, in Nicolas Udall [i.e., Nicholas Udall], transl., The First Tome or Volume of the Paraphrase of Erasmus vpon the Newe Testamente, London: […] Edwarde Whitchurche, →OCLC, folio lxxxii, verso:

     Moꝛeouer, enuy and deſpite against Ieſus had ſo blinded the myndes of the pꝛieſtes and the Phariſeis, that it did not ſuffice their malice to put Ieſus to death, but they fel in deuice alſo howe to make Lazarus away, againſt whom they coulde lay no colour oꝛ likelyhood of any fault.

   • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, “An Apologie of Raymond Sebond”, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC, page 296:

     Of all humaine and ancient opinions concerning religion, I thinke that to have had more likelyhood and excuſe, which acknowledged and confeſſed God to be an incomprehenſible power, chiefe beginning and preſerver of all things; all goodnes, all perfection; accepting in good part the honor and reverence which mortall men did yeeld him, vnder what viſage, name and manner ſoever it was.

   • 1649, J[ohn] Milton, “Upon the Rebellion in ’’Ireland’’”, in ΕΙΚΟΝΟΚΛΆΣΤΗΣ [Eikonoklástēs] […], London: […] Matthew Simmons, […], →OCLC, page 119:

     If there be who yet doubt, I referr them eſpecially to that Declaration of July 1645. concerning this matter. Againſt which teſtimonies, likelyhoods, evidences, and apparent actions of his own, being ſo abundant, the bare denyall of one man, though with imprecation, cannot in any reaſon countervaile.

   • 1653, Henry More, “The Universall Matter of the World Be It Homogeneall or Heterogeneall, Self-Mov’d or Resting of It Self, that It Can Never Be Contriv’d into That Order It Is without the Super-intendency of a God”, in An Antidote against Atheisme, or An Appeal to the Natural Faculties of the Minde of Man, whether There Be Not a God, London: […] Roger Daniel, […], →OCLC, book II, page 45:

     But to ſcuffle and combat with them in their own dark Caverns, let the univerſall Matter be a heterogeneall Chaos of Confuſion, variouſly moved and as it happens: I ſay there is no likelyhood that this mad Motion would ever amount to ſo wiſe a Contrivance as is diſcernable even in the generall Delineations of Nature.

   • 2015, Willow Danes, chapter 21, in Taken (Warriors of Hir; 2), Here Be Dragons, →ISBN, page 183:

     But when their eyes fell on R’har, it was plain these warriors were trying to judge his likelyhood of survival, subtly eyeing each other, each weighing his own chances of winning her, should R’har die.