contingence

noun

con·tin·gence kən-ˈtin-jən(t)s

Synonyms of contingence next

: contingency

: tangency

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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

Time Traveler

The first known use of contingence was circa 1530

See more words from the same year