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   contingent

   /kənˈtɪn(d)ʒ(ə)nt/

   adjective

   • 1. subject to chance: "the contingent nature of the job" Similar chanceaccidentalfortuitouspossibleunforeseenunforeseeableunexpectedunpredictedunpredictableunanticipatedunlooked-forrandomhaphazardOpposite predictable
   • ▪ (of losses, liabilities, etc.) that can be anticipated to arise if a particular event occurs.
   • ▪ true by virtue of the way things in fact are and not by logical necessity: "that men are living creatures is a contingent fact"
   • 2. occurring or existing only if (certain circumstances) are the case; dependent on: "his fees were contingent on the success of his search" Similar dependentconditionalsubject tobased ondetermined byhingeing onresting onhanging oncontrolled by

   noun

   • 1. a group of people sharing a common feature, forming part of a larger group: "a contingent of Japanese businessmen attending a conference"
   • ▪ a body of troops or police sent to join a larger force: "six warships were stationed off the coast with a contingent of 2,000 marines"

   Word Origin late Middle English (in the sense ‘of uncertain occurrence’): from Latin contingere ‘befall’, from con- ‘together with’ + tangere ‘to touch’. The noun sense was originally ‘something happening by chance’, then ‘a person's share resulting from a division, a quota’; the current sense dates from the early 18th century.

   Derivatives

   • 1. contingently adverb

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