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Origin and history of happening

happening(n.)

mid-15c., "chance, luck," verbal noun from happen (v.); meaning "an occurrence" is 1550s. Sense of "spontaneous event or display" is from 1959 in the argot of artists. Happenings "events" was noted by Fowler as a vogue word from c. 1905.

happening(adj.)

1520s, "occurring," present-participle adjective from happen (v.). Compare incident.

also from 1520s

Entries linking to happening

happen(v.)

late 14c., happenen, "to come to pass, occur, come about, be the case," literally "occur by hap, have the (good or bad) fortune (to do, be, etc.);" extension (with verb-formative -n) of the more common hap (v.). Old English used gelimpan, gesceon, and Middle English also had befall. In Middle English fel it hap meant "it happened." Related: Happened; happening. Phrase happens to be as an assertive way to say "is" is from 1707.

incident(n.)

early 15c., "something which occurs casually in connection with something else," from Old French incident (13c.), and directly from Latin incidentem (nominative incidens), present participle of incidere "to fall in, fall, find the way; light upon, fall in with; fall upon, occur; happen, befall," from in- "on" (from PIE root *en "in") + -cidere, combining form of cadere "to fall" (from PIE root *kad- "to fall"). Broader sense of "an occurrence viewed as a separate circumstance" is from mid-15c. Euphemistic meaning "event that might trigger a crisis or political unrest" first attested 1913.

happenstance(n.)

1855, from happening + ending from circumstance.

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    occurrence
    "that which presents itself, that which happens without design or expectation," 1530s, from French occurrence "unexpected happening" or directly from Medieval Latin occurrentia, from Latin occurentem (nominative occurens), present participle of occurrere (see occur). The adjectiv
    daily
    "happening or being every day," mid-15c.; see day + -ly (1)....Compare Old English dglic, a form found in compounds: twadglic "happening once in two days," reodglic "happening once in...
    contingent
    provisionally liable to exist," from Old French contingent or directly from Latin contingentem (nominative contingens) "happening...Meaning "not existing or occurring through necessity, happening by chance, accidental" is from 1610s....The noun is from 1540s, "thing happening by chance or by the will of a finite free agent;" as "a group forming part of a...
    sporadic
    outbreaks of disease, "occurring in scattered instances;" the general sense of "scattered, dispersed" is by 1813; the meaning "happening...
    coincident
    1560s, "exactly corresponding, having the same nature or character;" 1590s, "happening at the same time, concurrent," from...
    resistor
    late 14c., resistour, resister, "one who resists or hinders, one who prevents something from happening;" 1580s, "that which...
    symptom
    late 14c.), from Medieval Latin sinthoma "symptom of a disease," altered from Late Latin symptoma, from Greek symptoma "a happening...
    motion
    late 14c., mocioun, "process of moving; change of place, continuous variation of position;" also "suggestion, proposal or proposition formally made," from Old French mocion "movement, motion; change, alteration" (13c., Modern French motion) and directly from Latin motionem (nomin
    anticipate
    1530s, "to cause to happen sooner," a back-formation from anticipation, or else from Latin anticipatus, past participle of anticipare "take (care of) ahead of time," literally "taking into possession beforehand," from anti, an old form of ante "before" (from PIE root *ant- "front
    change
    c. 1200, "to alter, make different, change" (transitive); early 13c. as "to substitute one for another;" mid-13c. as "to make (something) other than what it was, cause to turn or pass from one state to another;" from late 13c. as "to become different, be altered" (intransitive),

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