E*vent" (?), n. [L. eventus, fr.
evenire to happen, come out; e out + venire to
come. See Come.] 1. That which comes,
arrives, or happens; that which falls out; any incident, good or
bad. "The events of his early years."
Macaulay.
To watch quietly the course of
events.
Jowett (Thucyd. )
There is one event to the righteous, and to the
wicked.
Eccl. ix. 2.
2. An affair in hand; business;
enterprise. [Obs.] "Leave we him to his events."
Shak.
3. The consequence of anything; the issue;
conclusion; result; that in which an action, operation, or series of
operations, terminates.
Dark doubts between the promise and
event.
Young.
Syn. -- Incident; occurrence; adventure; issue; result;
termination; consequence; conclusion. -- Event,
Occurrence, Incident, Circumstance. An
event denotes that which arises from a preceding state of
things. Hence we speak or watching the event; of tracing the
progress of events. An occurrence has no reference to
any antecedents, but simply marks that which meets us in our
progress through life, as if by chance, or in the course of divine
providence. The things which thus meet us, if important, are usually
connected with antecedents; and hence event is the leading
term. In the "Declaration of Independence" it is said, "When, in the
cource of human events, it becomes necessary." etc. Here,
occurrences would be out of place. An incident is that
which falls into a state of things to which is does not
primarily belong; as, the incidents of a journey. The term is
usually applied to things of secondary importance. A
circumstance is one of the things surrounding us in our path
of life. These may differ greatly in importance; but they are always
outsiders, which operate upon us from without, exerting
greater or less influence according to their intrinsic importance. A
person giving an account of a campaign might dwell on the leading
events which it produced; might mention some of its striking
occurrences; might allude to some remarkable incidents
which attended it; and might give the details of the favorable or
adverse circumstances which marked its progress.
E*vent" (?), v. t. [F.
éventer to fan, divulge, LL. eventare to fan,
fr., L. e out + ventus wind.] To break
forth. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
