Advents

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The arrival or coming of notable events, individuals, or periods in time
2. the emergence of something important or significant
3. a season marked by anticipation for major occurrences or developments

Etymology: The plural "advents" is simply the countable form of "advent", so the history belongs to that noun. "Advent" was borrowed from Latin "adventus", meaning "arrival" or "approach", a noun built from the verb "advenire", "to come to". The Latin prefix "ad-" ("toward") joined "venire" ("to come"), so the core sense is a coming toward someone or something. In English the word first described the arrival of a notable person or thing, and it still carries that sense of something awaited. The religious season of Advent, the weeks leading up to Christmas, took its name from the same Latin source, which is why the word now suggests a period of waiting rather than the arrival itself.

Synonyms: arrivals, coming, emergences, appearances, onset

Antonyms: departures, leavings, exits, absences, withdrawals