Word of the Week: Coincidence

Last week I wrote about the use of the word irony. This week I want to talk about coincidence.

Coincidence is derived from a French word meaning an exact correspondence. Now, however, it means "a concurrence of events with no apparent connection."

Many people misuse the word irony or ironic to mean coincidental.

Coincidence, too, is often misused as a way to defend an argument, using a misapplied definition (the old, French one) and claiming that two unrelated events means a direct correlation (it's called "Equivocation," and it's the basis for Slippery Slope).

So that's today's lesson.