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occasional

adjective

  1. happening or occurring from time to time, not regularly or constantly
L7186 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /əˈkeɪʒ(ə)nəl/

adj

Etymology: From Middle English occasyonal, from Medieval Latin occāsiōnālis and Old French ocasionel. By surface analysis, occasion + -al.

  1. Occurring or appearing irregularly from time to time, but not often; incidental.

    He was mostly solitary, but enjoyed the occasional visitor.

    He took an occasional glass of wine.

  2. Created for a specific occasion.

    Elgar's music was not created to be occasional music for high-school graduations.

  3. Intended for use as the occasion requires.

    What your living room needs are some occasional chairs.

  4. Acting in the indicated role from time to time.

    He is an occasional writer of letters to the editor.

noun

Etymology: From Middle English occasyonal, from Medieval Latin occāsiōnālis and Old French ocasionel. By surface analysis, occasion + -al.

  1. A person who does something only occasionally.