occasion

English Online Dictionary. What means occasion‎? What does occasion mean?

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French occasion, from Old French occasiun, from Latin occasiōnem, noun of action from perfect passive participle occasus, from verb occido, from prefix ob- (“down", "away”) + verb cado (“fall”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈkeɪʒən/
• Rhymes: -eɪʒən
• Hyphenation: oc‧ca‧sion

Noun

occasion (countable and uncountable, plural occasions)

1. A favorable opportunity; a convenient or timely chance. [from 14th c.]
2. The time when something happens.

3. An occurrence or state of affairs which causes some event or reaction; a motive or reason. [from 14th c.]

4. Something which causes something else; a cause. [from 14th c.]
5. (obsolete) An occurrence or incident. [14th–18th c.]
6. A particular happening; an instance or time when something occurred. [from 15th c.]
7. Need; requirement, necessity. [from 16th c.]
8. A special event or function. [from 19th c.]

9. A reason or excuse; a motive; a persuasion.

Derived terms

• occasional
• on occasion
• rise to the occasion

Translations

Verb

occasion (third-person singular simple present occasions, present participle occasioning, simple past and past participle occasioned)

1. (transitive) To cause; to produce; to induce

Translations

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin occāsiōnem (accusative of occāsiō). Compare the inherited Old French ochoison, achaison (the latter being influenced by Latin accūsātiō).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔ.ka.zjɔ̃/

Noun

occasion f (plural occasions)

1. occasion, opportunity
2. cause
3. bargain, good deal
4. secondhand or used item

Derived terms

Further reading

• “occasion”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.