Incidences

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Referring to occurrences of events or phenomena that happen at specific times
2. Denoting the frequency or rate at which certain events take place in a given context
3. Describing distinct instances or cases that exemplify a particular situation or phenomenon

Etymology: "Incidences" is the plural of "incidence," and the noun carries the idea of something falling onto something else. Its ancestor is the Latin verb "incidere," built from "in" ("on") and "cadere" ("to fall"), so the original picture is literal: one thing dropping onto another. Medieval Latin turned the participle "incidens" into the noun "incidentia," meaning "a falling upon," and French later took it up as "incidence." That physical sense is still visible in the technical uses that followed. Scientists and engineers adopted the word for the point or angle at which something strikes a surface, such as light hitting a mirror. From there it broadened into the sense of how often or how far something occurs, which is why "incidences" can now be counted like any other events.

Synonyms: occurrences, events, happenings, episodes, cases

Antonyms: nonoccurrences, inactivity, inaction, absence, neglect