Where does “off chance” come from?
off chance (English) comes from English chance, from Middle English chance, from Old French cheance, from Vulgar Latin cadentia, from Latin cadēns, from Latin cadō, from Proto-Italic kadō, from Proto-Indo-European ḱad- — to fall.
off chance (English): A possibility that is not likely or probable
Definitions
- A possibility that is not likely or probable
Ancestry of “off chance”, step by step
off chance traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English chance
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | chance | An opportunity or possibility; Random occurrence;... |
| 2 | Middle English | chance | — |
| 3 | Old French | cheance | accident, chance, luck |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | cadentia | falling |
| 5 | Latin | cadēns | falling |
| 6 | Latin | cadō | to fall, to fall out |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | kadō | fall, sink |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱad- | to fall |