The word 或是 is formed by combining two distinct characters, each contributing its core conceptual meaning to create a new, unified idea. The first character, 或 (huò), fundamentally means "maybe" or "some", carrying the intrinsic notion of possibility and indefinite choice among alternatives. It is joined with 是 (shì), a character whose primary function is to assert existence, correctness, or equivalence, often translated as "is" or "yes". Thus, the formation conceptually fuses the idea of indefinite alternatives (或) with the idea of affirmation or existence (是), resulting in a term that effectively points to one affirmed possibility among others, meaning "or possibly", "or else", or simply "or".