Where does “occasion” come from?
Occasion comes from Middle French occasion, from Old French occasiun, from Latin occasionem, a noun form of occidere meaning "to strike down," from cadere meaning "to fall."
occasion (English): A favorable opportunity; a convenient or timely...
Definitions
- A favorable opportunity; a convenient or timely...
Ancestry of “occasion”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | occasion | — |
| 2 | Old French | occasiun | — |
| 3 | Latin | occasio | occasion, opportunity; kairos, the right time,... |
| 4 | Latin | occasus | setting; west; western |
| 5 | Latin | occidō | to fall down |
| 6 | Latin | ob- | towards; against |
| 7 | Latin | obolus | obolus (Greek coin) |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | ὀβολός | obol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and... |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | ὀβελός | a spit, rod; a horizontal line |
| 10 | Ancient Greek | βέλος | missile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly... |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷélHos | — |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷelH- | to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing |