Casual
/ˈkæʒ.u.əl/noun
Happening by chance; informal or relaxed.
Did you know?Casual ultimately comes from Latin *casus*, meaning “a fall” or “an event,” the same root behind *case* and *chance*—so its earliest sense was tied to things that happen by accident, not style.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
casus
“a fall; an event; an occurrence or accident”
Late Latin
Latin
casualis
“happening by chance; accidental”
14th Century
Middle English
casual
“by chance; accidental”
16th Century
English
casual
“not regular or formal; incidental”
Modern English
English
casual
“informal, relaxed, or occurring by chance”