Probability

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌpɹɒbəˈbɪlɪti/

Definitions

1. The chance that a specific event will happen in relation to all possible events is known as likelihood
2. Likelihood quantifies how probable an event is compared to the entire range of potential occurrences
3. The measure of how likely an event is to occur among all possible outcomes defines the concept of likelihood

Etymology: Probability sounds like a modern, mathematical idea, but its roots lie in a Latin word meaning "credible." The Latin "probabilitas" meant the quality of being believable or worthy of approval, and it came from "probabilis," something that could be proved or tested in the sense of being plausible. In that older sense, a probable claim was one that a reasonable person would accept, not one measured by odds. The word passed into English through Middle French "probabilité," and for centuries it kept this moral and rhetorical flavour. To say something was probable meant it had the weight of evidence or authority behind it, and a "probable" witness was one whose testimony deserved trust. The shift toward a numerical chance of an event happening came later, as thinkers began to measure uncertainty mathematically. The modern sense, "chance of happening," is the one that stuck, but it grew out of the older idea of believability.

Synonyms: likelihood, chance, odds, possibility, prospect

Antonyms: impossibility, unlikelihood, certainty, surety, definiteness