Spontaneity
/ˌspɒn.təˈneɪ.ɪ.ti/noun
The quality of being natural, unforced, and arising without apparent external cause or planning.
Did you know?Spontaneity ultimately comes from Latin sponte, meaning “of one’s own accord,” a word tied to voluntary action rather than chaos or chance.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*spend-
“to make a libation, perform a ritual act of offering”
Latin
Latin
spondere
“to promise solemnly, vow, or pledge”
Latin
Latin
sponte
“of one’s own accord; voluntarily”
Late Latin
Latin
spontaneus
“voluntary, of one’s own free will”
16th Century
English
spontaneous
“arising of itself, voluntary, unconstrained”
17th–18th Century
English
spontaneity
“the quality or state of being spontaneous”