Other forms: coincidences
A coincidence is two things happening together by pure chance. A strange coincidence, pure coincidence, what a coincidence.
People systematically underestimate how often coincidences should happen: with enough events, remarkable ones are certain, which is why the birthday problem surprises everybody — twenty-three people give an even chance of a shared birthday. It is no coincidence is the standard way of alleging a connection. Note coincide; and that the Latin means falling together.
1nouncoincidenceTwo things happening together by pure chance.
“What a coincidence! I was just thinking about you when you called.”
coincidence is a chance concurrence.
Latin coincidere is co- plus incidere, to fall upon — in plus cadere, to fall. Accident, incident and cadence come from the same falling.
Proto-Indo-European
*ḱh₂d-
Middle French
coincidence
English, today
coincidence
From Middle French coincidence (French coïncidence). by surface analysis, en + coincide + ence.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA