Happenstance

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Dr. Goodword
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Happenstance

Postby Dr. Goodword » Sun May 24, 2020 7:27 am

• happenstance •


Pronunciation: hæp-ên-stæns • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: A chance happening, a fortuitous circumstance or situation.

Notes: Today's word is an amalgam or blend of two words, happening and circumstance. Blends are words that are created by smushing two words together while adding up their meanings. Other examples include smog (smoke + fog), motel (motor + hotel), brunch (breakfast + lunch).

In Play: Happenstance is usually an event or state that arose out by pure luck: "Anita Job found her new position by sheer happenstance: she applied for it the day it opened up by sheer chance." Happenstance is a good excuse for much of what happens around us: "So it was happenstance that the cookie jar fell off the counter; no one put their hand in it, right?"

Word History: This word is a blend of happen[ing + circum]stance. Happening is, of course, the noun from happen. This verb, in turn, is built on the noun hap "fortune, happening", which Middle English borrowed from Old Norse happ. The sense of "fortune" made its way into happy, hapless and mishap. Circumstance comes from circumstan(t)s, the present participle of circumstare "to stand around", so that a circumstance is the surroundings, things that stand around an event or situation. (Today's word is a contribution of Doug Coppock, whose musical group just happens to be called Happenstance. )
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Slava
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Re: Happenstance

Postby Slava » Wed Jul 21, 2021 9:07 am

Happenstance and serendipity are pretty much synonyms, then.

As to happy, I like to say that happiness happens. It's not something that can be maintained. Which is why we have the pursuit of happiness, not the perpetual state of such.
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Re: Happenstance

Postby David Myer » Sat Sep 25, 2021 3:17 am

It appears that a happenstance is not necessarily a happy one. Serendipitous, sure, but not necessarily. Just any coincidence. I must say though, it is difficult to imagine it used for an unfortunate happening. Perhaps the association of happy and happening is what makes it unlikely. Interesting though that an unfortunate happening is not an oxymoron.


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