aleatory

[ ey-lee-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee, al-ee- ]

/ ˈeɪ li əˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i, ˈæl i- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR aleatory ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

Law. depending on a contingent event: an aleatory contract.

of or relating to accidental causes; of luck or chance; unpredictable: an aleatory element.

Music. employing the element of chance in the choice of tones, rests, durations, rhythms, dynamics, etc.

Nearby words

aldus manutius, ale, ale conner, alea, aleardi, aleatory, alebion, alec, alecithal, aleck, alecost

Also a·le·a·tor·ic

[ey-lee-uh-tawr-ik, -tor-, al-ee-] /ˌeɪ li əˈtɔr ɪk, -ˈtɒr-, ˌæl i-/.

Origin of aleatory

1685–95; < Latin āleātōrius, equivalent to āleātōr- (stem of āleātor gambler (āle(a) game of chance + -ātor -ator) + -ius adj. suffix; see -tory¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for aleatory

The aleatory element has always been the connecting link between the struggle for existence and religion.
Folkways|William Graham Sumner
The aleatory element still remains, and it is still irrational, but the attitude of men towards it is changed.
Folkways|William Graham Sumner
At best the actor's is an aleatory profession and, as in all games of chance, the losses score highest.
My Actor-Husband|Anonymous
It was only by religious rites that the aleatory element in the struggle for existence could be controlled.
Folkways|William Graham Sumner

There is a great change in the mores of the entire modern society about the aleatory element.
Folkways|William Graham Sumner

British Dictionary definitions for aleatory

aleatory

aleatoric (ˌeɪlɪəˈtɒrɪk)

/ (ˈeɪlɪətərɪ, -trɪ) /

adjective

dependent on chance

(esp of a musical composition) involving elements chosen at random by the performer

Word Origin for aleatory

C17: from Latin āleātōrius, from āleātor gambler, from ālea game of chance, dice, of uncertain origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012