English
casual
Casual comes from Middle French casuel ‘fatal’, from Late Latin cāsuālis ‘happening by chance’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱh₂d-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱh₂d-next step skipped: Latin cāssus
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcāsus‘accident, chance’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcāsuālis‘happening by chance’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600casuel‘fatal’
- Englishearliest quotation 1819casual
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱh₂d-next step skipped: Latin cāssus
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcāsus‘accident, chance’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcāsuālis‘happening by chance’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600casuel‘fatal’
- Englishearliest quotation 1819casual
Earliest quotation: 1819, – 1820 September 13, (please specify the title): “casual breaks, in the general system”.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ḱh₂d-
chance, incident, occasion, coincidence, incidence, coincide, cascade, cadence, decadent, cadaver, 3 more
through Latin cāsus ‘accident, chance’
Today it means
adj Happening by chance.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱh₂d- / casual