dependent for existence, occurrence, character, etc., on something not yet certain; conditional (often followed by on or upon): Our plans are contingent on the weather.
liable to happen or not; uncertain; possible: They had to plan for contingent expenses.
happening by chance or without known cause; fortuitous; accidental: contingent occurrences.
Logic. (of a proposition) neither logically necessary nor logically impossible, so that its truth or falsity can be established only by sensory observation.
noun
a quota of troops furnished.
any one of the representative groups composing an assemblage: the New York contingent at a national convention.
the proportion that falls to one as a share to be contributed or furnished.
1350–1400;late Middle English (present participle) (< Middle French) < Latincontingent- (stem of contingēns, present participle of contingere), equivalent to con-con- + ting-, variant stem of tangere to touch + -ent--ent
Related formscon·tin·gent·ly, adverbnon·con·tin·gent, adjectivenon·con·tin·gent·ly, adverbun·con·tin·gent, adjectiveun·con·tin·gent·ly, adverb
late 14c., from Old French contingent or directly from Latin contingentem (nominative contingens) "happening, touching," present participle of contingere "to touch" (see contact). The noun is from 1540s, "thing happening by chance;" as "a group forming part of a larger group" from 1727.
