Sudden
/ˈsʌd.ən/noun
Happening or done quickly and unexpectedly.
Did you know?The word comes through Old French from Latin roots tied to speed, and it entered English with the sense of something that appears abruptly, almost like a fate-drop from nowhere.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₁ep-
“to reach, arrive”
Latin
Latin
subitus
“coming suddenly, unexpected”
Late Latin
Latin
subitānus
“sudden, instantaneous”
Old French
Old French
soudain
“sudden, unexpected”
Middle English
English
sodain, sodein
“sudden, unexpected”
Modern English
English
sudden
“happening or done quickly and unexpectedly”
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