chance

chance · noun, adjective, adverb¹

1. Latin · derived fromcadere“to fall, to die, to happen, occur”
2. Vulgar Latin · derived from*cadentia“falling”
3. Old French · derived fromcheance“accident, chance, luck”
4. Middle English · inherited fromchance
5. English todaychance

From Middle English chance, cheance, chaunce, cheaunce, a borrowing from Old French cheance (“accident, chance, luck”), from Vulgar Latin *cadentia (“falling”), from Latin cadere (“to fall, to die, to happen, occur”). Doublet of cadence and cadenza.

chance · verb²

1. Middle English · inherited fromchancen
2. English todaychance

From Middle English chancen, chauncen, from the noun (see above).

Words from the same roots