Occasion

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: oc=ca=sion

CIDE DICTIONARY

Occasion, n. [F. occasion, L. occasio, fr. occidere, occasum, to fall down; ob (see Ob-) + cadere to fall. See Chance, and cf. Occident.].

•  A falling out, happening, or coming to pass; hence, that which falls out or happens; occurrence; incident; event.  [1913 Webster]

  "The unlooked-for incidents of family history, and its hidden excitements, and its arduous occasions."  [1913 Webster]
•  A favorable opportunity; a convenient or timely chance; convenience.  [1913 Webster]

  "Sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me."  [1913 Webster]

  "I'll take the occasion which he gives to bring
  Him to his death."  [1913 Webster]
•  An occurrence or condition of affairs which brings with it some unlooked-for event; that which incidentally brings to pass an event, without being its efficient cause or sufficient reason; accidental or incidental cause.  [1913 Webster]

  "Her beauty was the occasion of the war."  [1913 Webster]
•  Need; exigency; requirement; necessity; as, I have no occasion for firearms.  [1913 Webster]

  "After we have served ourselves and our own occasions."  [1913 Webster]

  "When my occasions took me into France."  [1913 Webster]
•  A reason or excuse; a motive; a persuasion.  [1913 Webster]

  "Whose manner was, all passengers to stay,
  And entertain with her occasions sly."  [1913 Webster]

On occasion, (a) in case of need; in necessity; as convenience requires. “That we might have intelligence from him on occasion,” De Foe. -- (b) occasionally; from time to time; now and then.

Syn. -- Need; incident; use. See Opportunity.

Occasion, v. t. [Cf. F. occasionner.].

 To give occasion to; to cause; to produce; to induce; as, to occasion anxiety.  South.  [1913 Webster]
"If we inquire what it is that occasions men to make several combinations of simple ideas into distinct modes."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Occasion, n. & v.
--n.
1 a a special or noteworthy event or happening (dressed for the occasion). b the time or occurrence of this (on the occasion of their marriage).
2 (often foll. by for, or to + infin.) a reason, ground, or justification (there is no occasion to be angry).
3 a juncture suitable for doing something; an opportunity.
4 an immediate but subordinate or incidental cause (the assassination was the occasion of the war).
--v.tr.
1 be the occasion or cause of; bring about esp. incidentally.
2 (foll. by to + infin.) cause (a person or thing to do something).

Idiom

on occasion now and then; when the need arises. rise to the occasion produce the necessary will, energy, ability, etc., in unusually demanding circumstances. take occasion (foll. by to + infin.) make use of the opportunity.

Etymology

ME f. OF occasion or L occasio juncture, reason, f. occidere occas- go down (as OB-, cadere fall)

THESAURUS

Occasion

a leg up, advantage, adventure, affair, antecedent, antecedents, author, bare necessities, base, basis, bear, beget, break, breed, bring about, bring forth, bring on, bring to effect, bring to pass, call, call for, call forth, call up, causation, cause, cause and effect, celebration, ceremony, chance, circumstance, clear stage, commemoration, conceive, condition, conjuncture, contingency, create, demand, demand for, desideration, desideratum, determinant, determinative, do, effect, effectuate, element, elicit, engender, episode, essential, essentials, establish, etiology, event, eventuality, evoke, excuse, experience, fact, factor, fair field, fair game, father, found, foundation, function, gala, generate, gestate, give birth to, give occasion to, give origin to, give rise to, go, ground, grounds, hap, happening, happenstance, impel, impulse, inaugurate, incident, incitement, indispensable, induce, inducement, institute, juncture, justification, liberty, look-in, make, make for, matter of fact, milestone, moment, must, must item, necessaries, necessities, necessity, need, need for, obligation, observance, occasionally, occurrence, on occasion, opening, opportunism, opportunity, originate, particular, party, phenomenon, place, prerequirement, prerequisite, principle, produce, prompt, prompting, provocation, provoke, reality, realize, reason, requirement, requisite, requisition, right, room, scope, set afloat, set on foot, set up, shot, show, sire, squeak, stepping-stone, stimulus, the necessary, the needful, thing, time, turn of events, want, warrant, work, work up

ROGET THESAURUS

Occasion

Circumstance

N circumstance, situation, phase, position, posture, attitude, place, point, terms, regime, footing, standing, status, occasion, juncture, conjunctive, contingency, predicament, emergence, emergency, exigency, crisis, pinch, pass, push, occurrence, turning point, bearings, how the land lies, surroundings, context, environment, location, contingency, dependence (uncertainty), causation, attribution, circumstantial, given, conditional, provisional, critical, modal, contingent, incidental, adventitious, limitative, in the circumstances, under the circumstances, the circumstances, conditions, thus, in such wise, accordingly, that being the case, such being the case, in view of the circumstances, that being so, sith, since, seeing that, as matters stand, as things go, as times go, conditionally, provided, if, in case, if so, if so be, if it be so, depending on circumstances, in certain circumstances, under certain conditions, if it so happen, if it so turn out, in the event of, in such a contingency, in such a case, in such an event, provisionally, unless, without, according to circumstances, according to the occasion, as it may happen, as it may turn out, as it may be, as the case may be, as the wind blows, pro re nata, yet are my sins not those of circumstance.

Occasion

N timeliness, occasion, opportunity, opening, room, event (eventuality), suitable season, proper season, suitable time, proper time, high time, opportuneness, tempestivity, crisis, turn, juncture, conjuncture, crisis, turning point, given time, nick of time, golden opportunity, well timed opportunity, fine opportunity, favorable opportunity, opening, clear stage, fair field, mollia tempora, fata Morgana, spare time, opportune, timely, well-timed, timeful, seasonable, providential, lucky, fortunate, happy, favorable, propitious, auspicious, critical, suitable, obiter dicta, opportunely, in proper course, in due course, in proper season, in due season, in proper time, in due time, for the nonce, in the nick of time, in the fullness of time, all in good time, just in time, at the eleventh hour, now or never, by the way, by the by, en passant, a propos, pro re nata, pro hac vice, par parenthese, parenthetically, by way of parenthesis, incidentally, while speaking of, while on the subject, extempore, on the spur of the moment, on the spur of the occasion, on the spot, carpe diem occasionem cognosce, one's hour is come, the time is up, that reminds me, now that you mention it, come to think of it, bien perdu bien connu, e sempre l'ora, ex quovis ligno non fit Mercurius, nosce tempus, nunc aut nunquam.

Cause

N cause, origin, source, principle, element, occasioner, prime mover, primum mobile, vera causa, author, mainspring, agent, leaven, groundwork, foundation, spring, fountain, well, font, fountainhead, spring head, wellhead, fons et origo, genesis, descent, remote cause, influence, pivot, hinge, turning point, lever, crux, fulcrum, key, proximate cause, causa causans, straw that breaks the camel's back, ground, reason, reason why, why and wherefore, rationale, occasion, derivation, final cause, les dessous des cartes, undercurrents, rudiment, egg, germ, embryo, bud, root, radix radical, etymon, nucleus, seed, stem, stock, stirps, trunk, tap-root, gemmule, radicle, semen, sperm, nest, cradle, nursery, womb, nidus, birthplace, hotbed, causality, causation, origination, production, caused, causal, original, primary, primitive, primordial, aboriginal, protogenal, radical, embryonic, embryotic, in embryo, in ovo, seminal, germinal, at the bottom of, connate, having a common origin, because, behind the scenes, causa latet vis est notissima, felix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas.

VB be the cause of, originate, give origin to, give rise, to, give occasion to, cause, occasion, sow the seeds of, kindle, suscitate, bring on, bring to bring pass, bring about, produce, create, set up, set afloat, set on foot, found, broach, institute, lay the foundation of, lie at the root of, procure, induce, draw down, open the door to, superinduce, evoke, entail, operate, elicit, provoke, conduce to, contribute, have a hand in the pie, have a finger in the pie, determine, decide, turn the scale, have a common origin, derive its origin.