Collision
/kəˈlɪʒən/noun
A violent impact between two or more objects, or a conflict of ideas or interests.
Did you know?Collision comes from Latin collidere, literally “to strike together,” built from com- (“together”) + laedere (“to strike, hurt, injure”), a root that also helped shape words for injury and offense.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
collidere
“to strike together; to dash against”
Late Latin
Latin
collisio
“a striking together; collision”
Old French
Old French
collision
“a clash; a violent encounter”
16th Century
English
collision
“a striking together; a clash or conflict”
Modern English
English
collision
“a violent impact between objects or a conflict of interests”
Explore more surprising origins