Where does “chance” come from?
Chance comes from Middle English chancen, from Old French chance meaning "fall" or "outcome," from Vulgar Latin cadentia, from Latin cadere and cado meaning "to fall," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱad-.
chance (English): An opportunity or possibility; Random occurrence;...
Definitions
- An opportunity or possibility; Random occurrence;...
Ancestry of “chance”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | chance | — |
| 2 | Old French | cheance | accident, chance, luck |
| 3 | Vulgar Latin | cadentia | falling |
| 4 | Latin | cadēns | — |
| 5 | Latin | cadō | — |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | kadō | fall, sink |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱad- | to fall |
Words derived from “chance”