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Origin and history of coincidence

coincidence(n.)

c. 1600, "exact correspondence in substance or nature," from French coincidence, from coincider, from Medieval Latin coincidere, literally "to fall upon together," from assimilated form of Latin com "with, together" (see com-) + incidere "to fall upon" (from in- "upon" + combining form of cadere "to fall," from PIE root *kad- "to fall").

From 1640s as "occurrence or existence during the same time." Meaning "a concurrence of events with no apparent connection, accidental or incidental agreement" is from 1680s, perhaps first in writings of Thomas Browne.

also from c. 1600

Entries linking to coincidence

com-

word-forming element usually meaning "with, together," from Latin com, archaic form of classical Latin cum "together, together with, in combination," from PIE *kom- "beside, near, by, with" (compare Old English ge-, German ge-). The prefix in Latin sometimes was used as an intensive.

Before vowels and aspirates, it is reduced to co-; before -g-, it is assimilated to cog- or con-; before -l-, assimilated to col-; before -r-, assimilated to cor-; before -c-, -d-, -j-, -n-, -q-, -s-, -t-, and -v-, it is assimilated to con-, which was so frequent that it often was used as the normal form.

*kad-

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to fall."

It might form all or part of: accident; cadaver; cadence; caducous; cascade; case (n.1); casual; casualty; casuist; casus belli; chance; cheat; chute (n.1); coincide; decadence; decay; deciduous; escheat; incident; occasion; occident; recidivist.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit sad- "to fall down;" Latin casus "a chance, occasion, opportunity; accident, mishap," literally "a falling," cadere "to fall, sink, settle down, decline, perish;" Armenian chacnum "to fall, become low;" perhaps also Middle Irish casar "hail, lightning."

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    concurrence
    early 15c., "a combination for some purpose, cooperation" (a sense now archaic or obsolete), from Old French concurrence (14c.) or directly from Medieval Latin concurrentia "a running together," from concurrens, present participle of concurrere "to run together, assemble hurriedl
    conjunction
    late 14c., "a joining or meeting of individuals or distinct things," originally of planets or stars "meeting" in the same part of the sky, from Old French conjonction "union, joining, sexual intercourse" (12c.), from Latin coniunctionem (nominative coniunctio), noun of action fro
    chad
    Perhaps it is not a coincidence that the word is identical to an English dialectal variant of chat, meaning "a dry twig;...
    myopia
    By coincidence the name describes the problem: the parallel rays of light are brought to a focus before they reach the retina...
    loafer
    By coincidence Old English had hlaf-aeta "household servant," literally "loaf-eater;" one who eats the bread of his master...
    ilk
    Phrase of that ilk implies coincidence of name and estate, as in Lundie of Lundie; it was applied usually to families, so...
    palanquin
    Some have noted the "curious coincidence" of Spanish palanca, from Latin phalanga "pole to carry a burden."...
    position
    late 14c., posicioun, as a term in logic and philosophy, "statement of belief, the laying down of a proposition or thesis," from Old French posicion "position, supposition" (Modern French position) and directly from Latin positionem (nominative positio) "act or fact of placing, s
    accident
    late 14c., "an occurrence, incident, event; what comes by chance," from Old French accident (12c.), from Latin accidentem (nominative accidens) "an occurrence; chance; misfortune," noun use of present participle of accidere "happen, fall out, fall upon," from ad "to" (see ad-) +
    unison
    1570s, "note having the same pitch as another; identity in pitch of two or more sounds; interval between tones of the same pitch," especially the interval of an octave, from French unisson "unison, accord of sound" (16c.) or directly from Medieval Latin unisonus "having one sound

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