occasion
/əˈkeɪʒən/
noun
Origin
Latin
occasiō — a falling upon, a favorable moment
Overview
Meaning Now
- A particular time or instance of an event.
- A reason or cause for something to happen.
- A special or formal event or celebration.
Literal older meaning
a falling toward or happening
Language path
Latin → Old French → English
Earliest form
occasion
Earliest period
14th century
Journey
The word stems from the Latin 'occasiō', literally 'something that falls in the way', implying an event or circumstance that presents an opportunity or a trigger for action.
Evolution
- Latin
occasiō
“favorable opportunity”
From ob- (to) + cadere (to fall).
- Old French
occasion
“opportunity; reason; cause”
- Middle English
occasion
“opportunity, motive, occurrence”
Adopted into English via French during the late Middle English period.
Connections
Word parts
oc-
prefix
variant of ob-, against/towards
cas-
root
to fall (from cadere)
-ion
suffix
noun-forming suffix indicating action or result
Related across languages
French
occasion/opportunity
Spanish
ocasión
occasion/opportunity
Related words
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Related to occasion
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.