contingence

noun

con·​tin·​gence kən-ˈtin-jən(t)s 

1

: contingency

2

: tangency

Synonyms

• case
• contingency
• contingent
• event
• eventuality
• possibility

Examples of contingence in a Sentence

the collapse of that nation's economy was one contingence that the architects of the war hadn't planned on

Recent Examples on the Web

The team had a strong veteran contingence, but none of those veterans had anyone to lead them. —Anthony Fenech, Detroit Free Press, 24 Sep. 2017

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Medieval Latin; Middle French, "indeterminacy," borrowed from Medieval Latin contingentia "tangency, indeterminacy, chance" (Late Latin, "what is possible"), noun derivative of contingent-, contingens "dependent on circumstances, contingent entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1