Where does “chance” come from?
chance (Middle English) comes 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.
Ancestry of “chance”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | cheance | accident, chance, luck |
| 2 | Vulgar Latin | cadentia | falling |
| 3 | Latin | cadēns | — |
| 4 | Latin | cadō | — |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | kadō | fall, sink |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱad- | to fall |
Words derived from “chance”