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occasionalmore about occasional

occasional


  3  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Occasional  \Oc*ca"sion*al\,  a.  [Cf.F.  occasionnel.] 
  1.  Of  or  pertaining  to  an  occasion  or  to  occasions;  occuring 
  at  times,  but  not  constant,  regular,  or  systematic;  made 
  or  happening  as  opportunity  requires  or  admits;  casual; 
  incidental;  as  occasional  remarks,  or  efforts. 
 
  The  .  .  .  occasional  writing  of  the  present  times. 
  --Bagehot. 
 
  2.  Produced  by  accident;  as  the  occasional  origin  of  a 
  thing  [Obs.]  --Sir  T.  Browne. 
 
  {Occasional  cause}  (Metaph.),  some  circumstance  preceding  an 
  effect  which  without  being  the  real  cause  becomes  the 
  occasion  of  the  action  of  the  efficient  cause  thus  the 
  act  of  touching  gunpowder  with  fire  is  the  occasional,  but 
  not  the  efficient,  cause  of  an  explosion. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  occasional 
  adj  1:  occurring  from  time  to  time;  "took  an  occasional  glass  of 
  wine"  [syn:  {occasional(a)}] 
  2:  occurring  or  appearing  at  usually  irregular  intervals; 
  "episodic  in  his  affections";  "occasional  headaches"  [syn: 
  {episodic}] 
  3:  employed  in  a  specified  capacity  from  time  to  time;  "casual 
  employment";  "a  casual  correspondence  with  a  former 
  teacher";  "an  occasional  worker"  [syn:  {casual}] 
 
  From  THE  DEVIL'S  DICTIONARY  ((C)1911  Released  April  15  1993)  [devils]: 
 
  OCCASIONAL,  adj  Afflicting  us  with  greater  or  less  frequency.  That 
  however,  is  not  the  sense  in  which  the  word  is  used  in  the  phrase 
  "occasional  verses,"  which  are  verses  written  for  an  "occasion,"  such 
  as  an  anniversary,  a  celebration  or  other  event.  True,  they  afflict 
  us  a  little  worse  than  other  sorts  of  verse,  but  their  name  has  no 
  reference  to  irregular  recurrence. 
 
 




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