occasio

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ɔkˈkaː.si.oː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [okˈkaː.s̬i.o]^[1]

Forms

occāsiō f (genitive occāsiōnis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from occidō “to fall, happen”, with the suffix -tiō, so first “a falling out, happening”.^[2][3][1] Occidō is from ob- and cadō “to fall”.^[4][1] Festus defines it as the opportune moment that comes by chance.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Plautus, whose character is told he still has a chance to leave.^[4][2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant favourable circumstances for an action, the right moment, an opportunity, the Greek εὐκαιρία, often with a genitive of the action, as abeundī occāsiō “a chance to get away”.^[2][6] In the jurist Paulus it meant a contingency, accident.^[2] The Appendix Probi corrects occansio to occāsiō.^[7]

In Late and Medieval Latin it meant a cause or reason, a pretext, and a seizing of the opportunity.^[8][9] Through Old French ochaison it survives in Italian cagione “cause”.^[1] English occasion is recorded in the late 14th century.^[10]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of a chance to leave.^[2][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero equates it with Greek εὐκαιρία.^[6][5]
• late 14th century – English occasion is recorded.^[10]

Meanings

Noun

1. An opportunity, the right moment.^[2]
2. A contingency, accident.^[2]
3. (Late Latin) A cause, reason; a pretext.^[8]

Word family

• occāsiuncula

Related words

• occidō
• cadō
• English occasion

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ Appendix Probi, a late antique list of correct and censured Latin word forms ("calida non calda"); ed. H. Keil, Grammatici Latini IV, Leipzig 1864, 197–199.
8. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
9. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
10. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com