casuale

Casuale is an Italian adjective meaning random, chance, or incidental. It is used to describe outcomes, events, or conditions that occur without a predetermined pattern and are often modeled with probability. In everyday language, it can refer to happenings that were not planned, as in an encounter described as a casual or chance meeting.

Etymology and sense. Casuale derives from Latin casualis, itself from casus meaning “case, accident, or chance.” The term has long been part of Italian, with a nuance that emphasizes lack of intentional design, different from informale (informal) and from the English sense of casual as merely relaxed in style.

Usage and nuance. Casuale often implies an absence of deliberate control by the participants. Its synonym fortuito stresses accidental occurrence, while aleatorio highlights probabilistic aspects, especially in formal analyses. In computing, the expression numero casuale is used for a random number, and selezione casuale for random sampling. In everyday speech, casuale can describe events that happen by luck or accident, rather than by plan.

See also. Related terms include aleatorio, fortuito, and casual (in English, with related but distinct meanings). In Italian, careful use of casuale helps avoid confusion between randomness or chance and informal or everyday connotations.