occurrere

Occurrere is a Latin verb with senses centered on turning toward, meeting, and arising in mind. The core meaning is “to run to meet; to encounter,” and it also functions in the sense “to occur, to happen,” especially in impersonal constructions with a dative of the person affected (for example, something occurs to someone). In the sense “to occur to someone,” the verb is often used with the dative pronoun or noun indicating the person for whom the thought arises.

Etymology traces occurrere to a combination of a toward-facing prefix derived from ob- or a variant oc- with currere, the root meaning to run. The figurative extension from “run toward” to “come to mind” or “happen” is a common development in Latin verb semantics.

Morphology and usage patterns: occurrere is a third-conjugation verb, so its present tense forms follow the typical endings of that class. In the sense “to meet or encounter,” it can take a direct object or be used with a noun in the sense of an encounter. In the sense “to occur,” it frequently appears impersonally with a dative, expressing that something occurs to someone or that a notion comes to mind. The verb can also combine with infinitives or subordinate clauses to express more complex cognitive or perceptual events.

In classical Latin, occurrere appears in varied literary contexts, from narrative descriptions of physical meetings to philosophical and rhetorical discussions of ideas that occur to a speaker. Its range overlaps with other Latin verbs for “happen” or “occur,” such as accidere, but occurrere emphasizes the sense of turning toward or presenting itself to someone.

See also: occur, accidere, ideas arising in the mind, Latin verb conjugation.