English
chance
Chance comes from Old French cheance ‘accident, chance, luck’, from Vulgar Latin *cadentia ‘falling’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱh₂d-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱh₂d-reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱád-e-tireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kadō‘to fall’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcadōas cadere‘to fall’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*cadentia‘falling’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400cheance‘accident’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500chance
- Englishearliest quotation 1795same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱh₂d-reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱád-e-tireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kadō‘to fall’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcadōas cadere‘to fall’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*cadentia‘falling’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400cheance‘accident’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500chance
- Englishearliest quotation 1795same form
Earliest quotation: 1795, Robert Southey: “Wild-visag'd Wanderer! ah for thy heavy chance!”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ḱh₂d-
casual, coincidence, cascade, decadence, coincident
through Latin cadō ‘to fall, to die, to happen, occur’
case, accident, occasion, incident, decay, cheat, casualty, coincide, incidence, decadent, deciduous, occidental, cadaver, recidivism, occident, 15 more
through Vulgar Latin *cadentia ‘falling’
Another origin of chance
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500chancen
- Englishtodaychance
Today it means
noun An opportunity or possibility.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱh₂d- / chance