coincidental
UK/kəʊˌɪnsɪˈdentl/US/koʊˌɪnsɪˈdentl/
adj
happening or existing at the same time or by chance, not because of a connection or plan.
adj
resulting from a coincidence; seeming to happen by chance.
Morpheme Breakdown
co
incident
al
co
together
incident
event
al
adjective suffix
Etymology
the word 'coincidental' is built upon the noun 'incident', which originates from the latin 'incidere', meaning 'to fall upon, happen'. the prefix 'co-' (from latin 'com-') was added to form 'coincide', literally 'to fall upon together'. the adjective-forming suffix '-al' was then appended, creating a term that describes events which 'fall together' in time or circumstance. this etymological journey from the literal notion of 'falling upon together' to the modern abstract meaning of 'occurring by chance conjunction' illustrates how physical metaphors evolve into concepts of probability and synchronicity.
Analysis
Structure: co (together) + incident (event) + al (adjective suffix)
- co: from latin prefix 'com-', meaning 'together, with'. indicates association or joint action.
- incident: from latin 'incident-', stem of 'incidens', meaning 'happening, event'. derived from 'in-' (upon) + 'cadere' (to fall).
- al: from latin suffix '-alis', forming adjectives meaning 'of, relating to, or characterized by'.
Examples
our meeting at the airport was purely coincidental.
the similarities in their stories are too many to be coincidental.
he discovered the truth through a series of coincidental encounters.