contingent

/kən-ˈtin-jənt/

Middle English, borrowed from Middle French & Medieval Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Medieval Latin contingent-, contingens "dependent on circumstances, occurring by chance," going back to Latin, present participle of contingere "to be in contact with, arrive at, affect, fall to one's lot, come about, happen," from con- com-tangere "to touch, border on, arrive at, reach"

adjective

  1. dependent on or conditioned by something else

  2. likely but not certain to happen : possible

  3. not logically necessary; especially : empirical

Payment is contingent on fulfillment of certain conditions.

accidental fortuitous casual contingent mean not amenable to planning or prediction. accidental stresses chance. fortuitous so strongly suggests chance that it often connotes entire absence of cause.

noun

  1. a representative group : delegation, detachment

  2. something contingent : contingency

a diplomatic contingent

noun

  1. a fee for services (as of a lawyer) paid upon successful completion of the services and usually calculated as a percentage of the gain realized for the client —called also contingent fee