Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “odds” come from?

Odds comes from Middle English od, from Old Norse oddr meaning "point" or "angle," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁- meaning "to place" or "to put."

odds (English): The ratio of the probability of an event...

Definitions

  1. The ratio of the probability of an event...

Ancestry of “odds”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishoddDiffering from what is usual, ordinary or...
2Middle Englishoddeinflection of od: ## weak singular ## strong/weak...
3Old Norseoddiodd, third or additional number; triangle
4Old Norse-i—
5Latin-ē—
6Latindis-asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;...
7Latincalceusshoe
8Latincalxlimestone; chalk; the finish line
9Ancient Greekχάλιξsmall stone, pebble; gravel, rubble

Words derived from “odds”

  • oddsmaker
  • oddsmaking
  • oddsman
  • oddsboard
  • odds
  • odds
Every word from Ancient Greek χάλιξ →