eventualityn.
/ᵻˌvɛn(t)ʃʊˈalᵻti/, U.S. /əˌvɛn(t)ʃəˈwælədi/, /iˌvɛn(t)ʃəˈwælədi/ 1. Something that may happen; a possible event or outcome; a contingency.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > occurrence > [noun] > occurrence or event > possible
contingencya1626
eventuality1650
contingent1655
1650 J. Dury Second Parcel Obiections ii. 39 No man is to judg of the rectitude, or unrighteousness of his actions by the eventualitie thereof, which hee may propose unto himself will follow.
1759 W. Harte Hist. Life Gustavus Adolphus I. 166 This great work of Gustavus and Oxenstiern may be considered as the reduction of eventualities to one uniform system.
1798 J. J. Stockdale tr. C.-F. Du P. Dumouriez Speculative Picture Europe 7 The cession of the last province to the Duke of Modena even leaves the certain eventuality of its reintegration..to the House of Austria.
1852 C. J. Lever Daltons I. 123 Some experience had..trained him to a tactic of waiting and watching for eventualities.
1855 R. Browning Bishop Blougram in Men & Women I. 229 In that bewildering entanglement Of horrible eventualities.
1874 Lady Herbert tr. J. A. von Hübner Ramble round World I. i. xii. 268 In certain eventualities this state of things might give rise to grave difficulties.
1940 War Illustr. 5 Jan. 560 The gas-masked gun crew are ready for all eventualities.
1973 Mod. Asian Stud. 7 295 How effectively could it operate in the eventuality of rule by youthful, idle or incompetent emperors?
2001 K. Sampson Outlaws (2002) 251 Layer after layer of scheming and pre-planning will take care of each and any eventuality.
2011 Daily Tel. 29 Nov. 5/1 My GP has warned me that if I eat seafood again, I could go into shock and I have been prescribed an EpiPen for such an eventuality.
2. In phrenology: the faculty of remembering facts and occurrences; the organ (organ n.1 9) associated with this faculty. Now historical.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > psychology > faculty psychology > psychological study of the skull > [noun] > faculty of order
eventuality1825
1825 J. G. Spurzheim Phrenology (ed. 3) ix. iii. 296 Thus, the faculty of individuality makes us acquainted with objects, that of eventuality, with facts.
1828 G. Combe Constit. Man 72 Individuality and Eventuality, or the powers of observing things that exist and occurrences.
1860 R. F. Burton in Jrnl. Royal Geogr. Soc. 1859 29 314 The forehead converges to a central protuberosity, where phrenologists locate eventuality.
1909 Phrenological Jrnl. Feb. 54 His [sc. Abraham Lincoln] large Eventuality, Comparison and Individuality assisted him to remember and tell stories in a matchless way.
2001 N. Dames Amnesiac Selves ii. 91 The individual with a large organ of Eventuality will..have ‘a clear and retentive memory of historical facts, general knowledge, what has been seen, heard, read, done, etc.’.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2018; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1650