scenario
Meaning
A written outline of a film, play, or other performance, describing the plot, characters, and scenes.
A postulated sequence or development of events; a possible situation.
Structure
Usage
The film's scenario was praised for its originality and tight plot.
In the worst-case scenario, the company would have to declare bankruptcy.
Economists are modeling several different scenarios for post-election trade policy.
Etymology
The word 'scenario' entered English from Italian in the late 19th century, originally referring to an outline of a play. Its Italian source, 'scenario', is built from 'scena' (scene) and the adjectival suffix '-ario', literally meaning "pertaining to the stage." The Latin root 'scena' and its Greek ancestor 'skēnē' originally denoted a tent or booth, which evolved to mean the stage building in a theatre. This etymological journey, from a physical structure (tent/stage) to a detailed written plan for action on that stage, provides the logical bridge to its modern abstract meaning of a projected sequence of events or a hypothetical situation.
Analysis
'scene' from Latin 'scena' (stage, scene), from Greek 'skēnē' (tent, stage building). '-ario' is a suffix forming adjectives and nouns, from Latin '-arius' (pertaining to, connected with).