circumstance

Where does the word "circumstance" come from? It comes from Latin circumstantia, and was adopted directly into English (1200s).

Circumstance’s story begins in Latin: circumstantia meant “standing around, surrounding conditions.” Standing around, surrounding condition, from circum- (around) and stare (to stand). It reached English by 1200s as circumstance. Settled as the English word for the conditions surrounding an event. Today, circumstance means a fact or condition connected with an event, or one's overall situation.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient circumstantia "standing around, surrounding conditions", standing around, surrounding condition, from circum- (around) and stare (to stand).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1200s circumstance "the conditions surrounding an event or situation", settled as the English word for the conditions surrounding an event.